Rebirth of the Dragon
by Esca Madeline
Summary: The Saiyajin blood has dwindled to the point of nonexistence. Goku's legend had faded away with time. But when one of his descendants has her home destroyed by unexplainable events, his legend may be what saves her, and all those around her. REVISED!
1. A Typical Day for a Muzai

Disclaimer: Don't own anything even remotely related to Dragonball, Dragonball Z, or Dragonball GT.

A/N: This entire story has been completely revised, and some scenes have been changed due to very good suggestions made by some reviewers.

This takes place about six centuries after the end of Dragonball GT. If you liked the Dragonball series in particular you may like this. Criticisms are welcome, because I want to become better as a writer.

**_Chapter One: A Typical Day for a Muzai_**

Weeding sucked.

It sucked even more because it was as hot as hell. Sweat literally poured down the forehead of the ten-year-old girl as she pulled hard on a small barberry shrub, being careful to avoid the sharp spine at the node. A small gray squirrel dug nearby, totally oblivious to his surroundings as he prepared to bury another acorn for the fourth time that day.

"Come—on—you—silly—bush!" the girl grunted between words. "_Come—on!_" Finally she gave up and slumped to the ground, panting as she wiped the sweat off her forehead with dirt caked hands. "Darn it grandpa," she mumbled. She looked up and saw the squirrel digging nearby. Feeling somewhat social (and seeing that there was no other human being in sight), she said out loud, "If he wanted a nice herb garden, he should have weeded it himself at least every other week. He shouldn't tell his grandchild to do it once a month, in the middle of summer! Am I right, little squirrel?"

The animal had lifted its head curiously at the first sound of the girl's voice, but lost interest mid-sentence and had returned to digging. The girl sighed, and brushed a few strands of dark blue hair away from her face. Once again, she grabbed the edge of the reddish-purple barberry plant and pulled, harder this time, and the shrub went flying out of the soil, roots and all. The girl tossed the uprooted plant to the side and grimaced as she looked around the herb garden. It was _piled_ with weeds. And they weren't just dandelions, either. "Now only a million more to go…"

In the distance, she heard a deep, strong voice chant the traditional Shinto peace prayer.

"_O Most High, help to bring thy Light into the darkened conditions of the world…Be gracious to us thy humble servants and bless us with illumination as to that which is divinely relevant to the fulfillment of thy will…"_

That voice belonged to Goushi Goku Muzai, the priest of the revered shrine of Amaterasu, the sun goddess. Her grandfather. The girl grabbed another barberry shrub and this time pulled it out in one try. When prayers were over, her grandfather would look for her, and their daily practice would begin.

"_O Most High, inspire thy servants throughout the world to further efforts towards leading back thy children who are led astray to the right way, and to live and act on the faith of what has been taught by the great founders of the religions…"_

Her grandfather was still quite young, only in his mid-fifties in fact, but the gray had already begun to show on his spiky black hair and beard. He was a respected man, for both his responsibilities as a priest and for his great strength and skill in the martial arts.

It was his greatest desire to pass on the priesthood to the next generation in the Muzai family, but his daughter (_her_ mother), Taka, had no interest in becoming the next priestess of the Amaterasu shrine. So now she, Sachiko, was his last hope. He had told her so repeatedly, with a sort of desperation in his voice, and she had to agree. What else could she do, really? He was her grandfather.

"_Bless all spiritual leaders with thy power and enable them to give help, joy, comfort and reassurance to those suffering, to whom they minister!"_

Sachiko extracted several of the smaller weeds as the last symbol died on her grandfather's tongue. When she saw him leave the chamber of worship, she immediately got up and ran to him, bowing as she gave him her brightest smile.

"Good morning, grandfather!" Sachiko lifted her golden eyes and grinned sheepishly. "I'm sorry. I didn't finish weeding your garden…"

Goushi looked at the partially tended garden. "It's all right. I'll just get Taka to do it later."

"Where is Okaasan anyway?"

"In West City. She got a call from the _station_." West City was about an hour's ride away from the Amaterasu forest shrine, but Taka was the only one who frequently went there. Goushi's dark eyes narrowed with displeasure as he said his bit; he never liked the city with all its technological gadgets. Sachiko never went there, for Goushi absolutely forbade it, and she merely scratched her head in confusion.

"Wasn't it Okaasan's day off? Why is she going to the police station today? How come she didn't say anything? Why—"

Goushi rapped Sachiko smartly on the head with his knuckles, earning a yelp from the young girl. "You ask too many questions," he said, frowning. "Go change. Practice will begin shortly."

Sachiko nodded and eagerly ran off to change into her family's traditional orange and blue fighting gi. Her long brown tail, which was usually wrapped around her waist, swished happily out of a small hole torn in the back of her pants.

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

Sachiko gripped the soft forest earth with her toes as she got into the neko-ashi dachi, the cat-leg stance. She made sure that the knee of her base leg was slightly bent as her forward leg was bent, with the heel of the foot just off the floor. Goushi, on his part, took the kiba dachi, the horse stance. His feet were parallel to each other, and were about two shoulder-widths apart. He looked just like he was riding a horse.

"Sou!" At the signal, Sachiko immediately sped toward him and began to deliver a series of speedy kicks and punches to his head and torso. However, her grandfather easily blocked them all, and he gave her a taunting smile every time he blocked her attack. Frustrated, she aimed a fast kick to his stomach. Goushi quickly blocked it and, before Sachiko could retract her leg, grabbed her foot.

"No!" Sachiko tried to pull her leg back, but her grandfather's hold held fast.

"What have I always told you Sachiko? You should always be aware of your actions. Otherwise…you will invite trouble!" He twisted her leg and threw her like a rag doll off to the side. Sachiko crashed into a nearby tree and crumpled to the ground. At once she struggled to get back on her feet; her grandfather hated weak opponents. But Gods, her back _hurt_! And the fight hadn't even lasted ten minutes!

She had no time to rest, though. She looked up to see her grandfather charging at her, his fists glowing slightly as he prepared for a ki-focused punch. Sachiko yelped and dived out of the way as her grandfather literally punched _through_ the old, thick tree. Now behind him, Sachiko crouched down and delivered a low sweeping kick that knocked the surprised Goushi off his feet. Before he hit the ground, Sachiko quickly delivered a ki-focused roundhouse kick to his head that would have knocked any other human being unconscious. It only left a nasty cut on his cheek in his case, but nevertheless he stared at her in shock from the ground.

"You've become much faster," he said, still surprised that he had been taken down. Sachiko laughed nervously and helped her grandfather to his feet.

"I was lucky," she said. She then noticed the bleeding cut on her grandfather's cheek. Her mood changed like quicksilver to anxiety and she began to wail. "I'm so sorry grandfather! I didn't mean to make you bleed!"

"Hm?" Goushi touched his cheek and stared at the red mess that came away on his hand. "Oh well. No matter. I consider it a good sign. No one has been able to injure me like this in twenty years. Not even your mother could do it. Well, it wasn't as if she actually _tried_ to learn any martial arts, but still…"

"Where is everyone?" A loud voice echoed through the forest, and Sachiko smiled brightly while Goushi's eyes darkened.

"Okaasan!" Sachiko ran back onto the shrine grounds toward their house. There, a short but slender woman stood waiting, brushing her dark blue hair back and laughing as her daughter happily embraced her. But while Sachiko greeted her mother with the warmest of smiles, Goushi gave his daughter the coldest of stares.

"How was your day, Sachiko?" Taka asked, her face cheerful until she met Goushi's gaze. "Otousan," she greeted in a semi-polite tone. "Wherever did you get that mark on your face?"

"My talented granddaughter gave this to me," answered Goushi coldly. "She shows an excellent potential to be a martial artist, as it should always be with our family."

Sachiko bit her lip as Taka scoffed in Goushi's face. Young as she was, she could sense that something was amiss, but she couldn't quite finger what it was. Her eyes switched worriedly between Goushi and Taka as her mother snapped irritably, "Can't you make up your mind, you senile old bat? I distinctly remember you blubbering that our family should be priests, not fighters."

"We are _both_! If you ever listened to me even once when you were a child, you would have known this already!"

"You're outdated, old man," Taka retorted as she went inside the house. "You just want us to live like cavemen until the sun explodes and we all die. Well, I'm gonna live in the present. I'm gonna have some _fun_."

Goushi made a furious move towards Taka, but Sachiko quickly grabbed his arm and said, "Grandfather, let's go to Korin Tower. I want to see Piccolo-san and Kargo-kun. And you'll feel better too. Please?"

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

No one knew much about Korin Tower, partially because no one really cared about it. It was miles away from West City and very few bothered to venture out that far.

The villagers who resided near the Amaterasu shrine occasionally went to see it, but the Muzai family had made it a tradition for all of the martial artists in the family to climb the tower straight to the top. Goushi, at twenty-one, had done it in a week; Sachiko, at nine, had managed it in twelve days with little food and water. (It took a full week for her to recover, along with several senzu beans, but Goushi was still amazed by her feat to this day.)

Taka had never tried it, although she claimed that Sachiko's father had climbed to the top in two days. Goushi never confirmed this, as he never spoke about her father at all, so Sachiko didn't know what to believe.

Goushi and Sachiko continuously went to the top of the tower, but not just for the glory anymore. A hundred years ago, when Goushi's great-great grandfather Gohan the Third had made it to the top (the first time the family had done that in centuries), he had met a strange looking green man who proclaimed that he was the guardian of the Earth. Although poor Gohan had thought he was hallucinating at the time, he had befriended the man, who later revealed himself to be a Namekian called Midori. As the years went by, the two had developed and maintained a friendship, and both insisted that the bond be kept by their descendants.

As Sachiko and her grandfather reached the tower, they didn't climb the pole. Now, they used an art that they used cautiously, and never within the sight of anyone outside the Muzai family. Now, they flew to the top. Goushi was an expert at flying, and he had taught Sachiko. However, while Sachiko could hover easily, she had trouble flying vertically.

"Free your mind, Sachiko!" Goushi scolded as Sachiko grasped the edge tower in midair for the seventh time. "You must feel confident in the air! Forget everything your fool of a mother told you about gravity, and fly!"

"But if I fall, it'll hurt!" Sachiko protested as she held on to the tower.

"So? If you fall, I'll catch you. Now focus your ki!"

Sachiko whimpered, but took several deep breaths and tried to gather her thoughts together. _Focus your ki…focus your ki…_Sachiko closed her eyes and pushed away from the pole, trying to imagine an invisible force pushing her up.

Suddenly, she felt herself levitate through the air quickly. _Wow, _she thought_, I'm doing it! Grandpa, are you watching?_ Sachiko opened her eyes gleefully and saw…the earth below her feet, hundreds of thousands of miles away. She wasn't up this high a minute ago! Sachiko panicked and began to fall…rapidly.

"Grandpa!" Sachiko screamed as she felt the stinging rush of cold air past her cheeks. Her hands and legs flailed helplessly, trying to grab anything that could slow her descent. Even her tail was uncurled, and flinging around in every direction. _I'm going to die, _she thought._ I'm going to die, I'm going_—she suddenly felt a strong, painful grip on her left arm and the rush stopped as well, leaving Sachiko dangling disoriented in the middle of the air. Gasping, she looked up and saw her grandfather's frightened face.

"Are you all right?" Goushi asked worriedly. Sachiko couldn't do anything but nod.

Goushi carried Sachiko the rest of the way.

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

"What happened? You two look like you've been to hell and back."

"Shut up, Piccolo," Goushi grumbled as he tried to pry Sachiko's arms off of his neck. "We had a bad flying lesson on the way here, and I'd rather not talk about it."

The tall, green Namekian frowned and gently took Sachiko's hands away from Goushi's neck as Goushi set her down. But when Sachiko immediately latched herself on to Piccolo's leg, he didn't even blink. He merely sighed and gave her a small pat on the head.

"Please, child," Piccolo said as he tried to pull away. "Whatever happened, happened. There's no use dwelling on the past…and it's not like it's the first time this happened."

Sachiko sniffed twice, but still didn't let go. Piccolo sighed again and was about to resort to using force when Sachiko's stomach growled loudly. Then an idea came to him. "Mr. Popo's in the kitchen. I think he's making pork buns. If you don't hurry, he's going to eat all of them without you—"

Sachiko disappeared so quickly that only her afterimage was left behind. Piccolo chuckled and looked at Goushi, who was shaking his head in embarrassment.

"She doesn't need a head," said Goushi. "She thinks more with her stomach in a day than she does with her head in a month!"

"You have my _sincerest_ condolences." Piccolo said mockingly. "Say, have you found out why she's got a tail yet?"

"No, and I've given up trying. I'm just happy that she's good, not like Taka…"

"She's a vigilant student," commented Piccolo. "I wish Kargo was as dedicated to becoming a guardian as she is to becoming a priestess and a master of the martial arts. All he thinks about is the city and humans and their technology! All he wants to do is play video games and watch television! He even ordered an issue of _Playboy_ magazine behind my back! Do you know what kind of filth that magazine contains?"

A dirty grin spread across Goushi's face. "Well…I kind of do…it's not _that_ bad…"

Piccolo frowned. "Have you forgotten that I'masexual, you lecher?"

"That still scares me to this day. To never have sex even once in your life…"

"Agh! Never mind. Why exactly did you come up here?"

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

Sachiko sped through the building, stopping every once in a while to sniff the air. "Pork buns, pork buns, have to find the pork buns…" She went faster, running in and out of various rooms, trying to find a whiff of her favorite snack. As she ran into a room, she tripped over a small shadowed lump next to the door and went flying into a row of books and scrolls.

CRASH!

The force of the impact caused the shelves to break, and all of the books and scrolls came crashing on top of her head. If she didn't have a headache before, Sachiko had one now. Oh boy, the room was spinning so much…

"Sachi!" The shadowed lump got up and ran over to her, frantically tossing the old books aside. When he unburied her and helped her to her feet, Sachiko was clearheaded enough to see that the lump was a Namek boy wearing a faded blue hoodie over a dark purple gi.

"Kargo," Sachiko groaned as she rubbed her head, "what were you doing crouching next to the door in the dark like that? You looked like the boogie-man. I tripped over you."

"Well…I…eh…" Kargo's face turned dark purple for a moment before he gave her an annoyed look. "Why am I going under interrogation? What were _you_ doing, running around at top speed like that? You were running so fast that you were bound to run into _something_ sooner or later. Be thankful it was me and not a steel door."

"Kargo…I thought this place was made of _stone_. There's no steel anywhere."

"Exactly. You might run into a steel door because you're not expecting one to pop up."

Sachiko scratched her head in confusion. "You're so weird sometimes."

Kargo pursed his lips in annoyance. "If you think I'm so weird then…I won't tell you what I've found today." He held up a dusty, dirty, worn-out leather book.

"What's that?" asked Sachiko curiously.

"It's a journal, Sachi. It's a journal written by my ancestor, Dende!"

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

**Read and Review.**


	2. Dende's Journal

Disclaimer: Don't own DBZ. Ha.

A/N: Thanks to all reviewers.

**_Chapter Two: Dende's Journal_**

Sachiko stared at him blankly. "Um…what's an ancestor? And who's Dende? Is he important?" Kargo groaned and slapped a hand to his forehead.

"Are you that dense, Sachi-chan?" Kargo asked. "An ancestor is someone who lived bazillions of years ago but is related to us. An ancestor is like, our great-great-great-great-great-great-great grandfather. Or grandmother," he added thoughtfully.

"If they lived that long ago," Sachiko said, "wouldn't they be dead by now?"

"It doesn't matter!" Kargo yelled, throwing his hands in the air in frustration. "The _point is_ that I found Dende's journal. Dende was the second Namekian to be the guardian of the Earth. We have information that goes back almost six hundred years ago!" Kargo held the old book dramatically in front of Sachiko's face. "Can't you _feel_ the knowledge, Sachi? The promise of old secrets and juicy gossip? The lifestyle of the ancient ones? CAN'T YOU FEEL IT?" Kargo paused, waiting for her reaction.

"..."

"..."

A loud growl from the girl's midsection suddenly broke the moment. Sachiko glanced at her stomach, before giving Kargo a zombie-like look. "Starving. Wanna eat pork buns…_now_."

Kargo lowered the book and scowled. "Damn it…why do I get the feeling that you completely missed the point?" Still, he took her by the hand and led her to the kitchen.

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

Piccolo frowned. "This is ridiculous Goushi. I'm the guardian of the Earth, not your personal psychiatrist. You can't keep running up here every time Taka makes you feel like crap."

"Hey! I came only because Sachiko wanted to come see your son. The fact that you also happen to be here is mere coincidence." Goushi turned away from Piccolo's piercing stare and began to twist the edge of his beard.

"Can't you patch things up with her already? It's been ten years for crying out loud! No matter what you do, Taka will always be an unwed mother. Sachiko will always be fatherless."

"Dum-dee-dum-dum…"

"Damn it! Don't you hum while I'm talking to you!"

Still humming loudly, Goushi unconsciously pulled out tuffs of his beard as he went to the edge of the lookout. Looking down at the Earth, a smirk suddenly made its way through his face. "You know," Goushi said, "Sachiko gave me this cut today. A real doozey." He touched the semi-dry scar on his cheek, wincing slightly at the soreness.

"Don't change the subject!" Piccolo yelled, but glanced at the wound anyway. His eyes grew wide with surprise. "Sachiko gave you that?"

Goushi nodded. "That's not all. While we were flying up here, I tried to get her to fly vertically. She was struggling at first, but at one point, when she had her eyes closed and was focused, she flew up a thousand feet in mere seconds. When she opened her eyes, she lost the focus and fell, but still…" Goushi turned to Piccolo, whose eyes were now as round as dinner plates. "She's becoming unnaturally strong. Well, she was unnatural to begin with. What normal child is born with a tail? I worry about her Piccolo. Sometimes I wonder if the Gods are punishing Sachiko for Taka's mistake."

"You're overreacting," Piccolo said in a would-be calm voice. "Sachiko is the most gentle, loving human being I have ever met. For all we know, the strength and tail would be a blessing, not a punishment. Anyway, you were proud of her in the beginning for being so strong."

Goushi sighed. "That's true."

An uncomfortable silence fell over the two men.

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

"Mmm! Tee 're deliceeus, Fister Bopo!"

What started out as a mountain of pork and chicken buns had now dwindled to a molehill as Sachiko began to gulp them down at lightning speed. Kargo watched her with a mixture of amazement and disgust, even though he had watched her eat several times before. It was impossible to even see the food going _into_ her mouth. However, Mr. Popo just smiled, as if this was something he was used to seeing on a daily basis.

As far as Sachiko and Kargo knew, Mr. Popo had lived at the lookout tower since before their great-great grandparents were born. A short, round dijinn with black skin that was as shriveled as dried prunes, no one really knew his exact age. Kargo often said that he expected the guy to drop dead any second, but Mr. Popo continued to live on, always smiling and ready to be of assistance, even if he was getting a bit senile.

"Wha 'bout too?" Sachiko mumbled to Kargo, accidentally spraying him with bits of chicken in the process. "Oops…'oory Cago."

Kargo flicked the bits of meat off of him and groaned. "Swallow Sachi-chan, I'm begging you!"

Sachiko swallowed her mouthful and grinned at him. "Sorry Kargo-kun." Kargo's cheeks turned dark purple at her grin, but he quickly frowned.

"Don't call me that," he grumbled. "It makes me sound like I'm a kid."

Sachiko cocked her head to the side. "But you are a kid."

"So? Ah, forget it. No use trying to explain to _you_."

"Aren't you going to eat any?" Sachiko asked, pointing to the five remaining pork and chicken buns on the plate.

Kargo snorted. "You know Nameks don't eat. But I _will_ have some of that soda." He swiped Sachiko's cup away from her and began to gulp it down rapidly.

"Hey! That's mine!" Sachiko immediately tried to grab it back, but Kargo stood up on his chair and continued to drink out of her reach. Ignoring her continuous protests, Kargo drank until the glass was three-quarters empty. _Then_ he gave the glass back.

"All yours," he said, smirking. Sachiko fumed and pouted, but drank what was left anyway. Kargo watched her for a while, then leaned over and lowered his voice so that Mr. Popo couldn't hear. "You know Sachi, I already read a couple of pages of the journal. It mentions a lot of cool things."

"Like what?" Sachiko whispered back as she put the glass down.

"Well for starters…" Kargo cast a quick glance at Mr. Popo, who was busy clearing the table. "Mr. Popo was alive back then. He was the assistant to Dende five hundred and fifty years ago."

Sachiko turned to Mr. Popo so quickly that her long hair flew in different directions, swatting Kargo in the face. "You're over five hundred years old?" Sachiko shrieked, starling Mr. Popo. "That's amazing! How did you live all these years?" Sachiko fixed her gaze on Mr. Popo, completely unaware of Kargo's furious motions for her to be quiet.

Mr. Popo stood still, dumbly holding a plate that he had been clearing away. After staring at the two children, he put the plate down and drew out a nearby chair. "Oh dear," he murmered as he sat down. "How did you find out? No one really knew about my true age…"

"Mr. Popo! You're avoiding the question!" Sachiko whined, pouting as she did so. "OW! Why'd you kick me Kargo?" She glared angrily at her Namekian friend, who returned the glare.

"Ex-nay on the estions-quay," he said through gritted teeth.

Sachiko's angry face went blank. "What?"

"I said, _ex-nay_ on the _estions-quay_."

"_What_? I can't understand you. It's like you're speaking in code."

"Never mind! Just come with me!" Kargo grabbed Sachiko's arm and began to drag her out of the kitchen. Before he left, he turned to Mr. Popo and gave him a nervous smile. "Sachi-chan says the weirdest things. Just forget this conversation ever happened, okay?" With that, he left the kitchen, pulling a very rumpled Sachiko behind him.

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

When they were a safe distance away, Sachiko wiggled out of Kargo's grasp and kicked him in the shins.

"EEOOOWWWCH!" Kargo cried out, hopping on one leg while furiously rubbing the other. "What the hell was that for?"

"For dragging me out like that before my questions were answered!" Sachiko yelled back. "And for kicking me first! _And for drinking my soda!_"

"SSSSSHHHHH!" Kargo shushed Sachiko and pulled her into a nearby room. He closed the door and took out the journal. "This book has lots of information," he said quietly. "But we can't tell anyone about this! Especially not Mr. Popo!"

Frowning, Sachiko snatched the book from Kargo and began flipping through the pages. "Why not Mr. Popo?" she asked. "He's the nicest person in the world!"

"He's the _last _person we should be telling about this!" Kargo snapped. "Don't you know how close he is to my dad?"

"Do you mean 'physically' close or 'friendship' close? Okaasan told me that there was a difference, but she never explained it to me…"

"Okay...I'm not even going to answer that." Kargo grabbed the book back from Sachiko. "But just know that if my dad finds out I have this, he's going to kick my ass from here to the place with the burning, burning flames."

"Why? Where did you get this anyway?"

Kargo swallowed nervously and glanced at the door to make sure it was locked. Then he turned back to Sachiko and whispered, "I took it from Mr. Popo's Room of Records."

Sachiko stared at him unbelievably. "Kargo! No one is allowed in there without Mr. Popo or Piccolo-san! Why didn't you just ask them if you could borrow it?"

"You've got to be kidding me!" Kargo shrieked. "You know how dad gets! Every time I go in that room with him, he doesn't let me touch anything! He just gives me a bunch of shitty scrolls and never even lets me _look_ at the good stuff!"

"Okay, okay…calm down," said Sachiko as she took one of his hands. "Just tell me what you read."

"Okay," said Kargo as he opened the book to a marked page. "I didn't finish reading this," he admitted, "but I did find something interesting. Dende knew a couple of men who were really strong back then I think they even saved the world a couple of times. But the strongest one—get this—had a _tail_. A tail just like yours!"

Sachiko's jaw dropped. "No way."

"I'm serious! Dende called him a…Saiya-jin. He wasn't from this planet, Sachi! I think he may be your ancestor!"

For a minute, it seemed to make sense. Or maybe she just wanted it to make sense. It would have easily explained where she got her tail from, and why she always felt so different and out of place. But a small voice in her head, the everlasting voice of reason, shattered the image indefinitely.

"How come Grandpa and Okaasan don't have tails then?" Sachiko asked. "If I have one, shouldn't they have one too?"

Kargo closed the book and frowned. "Huh. Well…maybe it's from your dad's side. I mean, you don't really know much about him, other than the fact that he was really powerful. Besides," he gave her a smirk, "when I read about the Saiya-jin, his personality reminded me of you. Well, you're not as dense, but still…the happiness and the joy…it was creepy. And—"

Suddenly, the doorknob began to rattle and someone began to pound on the wood furiously. "Hey! Who's in there?"

"Cripes! It's my dad!" Kargo stuffed the book back inside his hoodie just as the door burst open, revealing a very frustrated looking Piccolo. "Hiya dad," Kargo said brightly, wearing his most innocent face. "What's up?"

Piccolo stared at Kargo suspiciously. "What's up? I should be asking you two what you were doing in here. Goushi and I were searching the whole darn tower looking for you!"

"Gomen, Piccolo-san." Sachiko lowered her head in and apology. "We didn't mean to scare you so much." She lifted her head and gave Piccolo the cutest pout she could muster.

It worked like a charm. The frustration on the Namek's face melted away, and Piccolo sighed as he shook his head. "Go wait outside. Your grandfather's probably ready to jump off the tower looking for you."

Sachiko bowed again and slowly walked out. As she did, she caught Kargo mouthing a few words to her. It looked like, "I'll find out more later."

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

A full week had passed after her meeting with Kargo, but Sachiko had no time to reflect on the events. As fun as the Namek was, she still had her duties as a miko. In the small stone room, she kneeled on a jaded mat in the traditional white and red miko robes. As she stared at the mirror that was representative of Amaterasu, she took a deep breath and began to sing the prayer in a loud, sturdy voice.

"_Although the people living cross the Ocean surrounding us,  
I believe, all our brothers and sisters,  
Why are there constant troubles in the world?"_

Things seemed to have calmed down between Goushi and Taka; at least they were formal to each other again. However Taka spent more and more time at the police station. She left early in the morning and returned late at night. Goushi didn't seem to have a problem with this, he expressed verbally that the less he saw of Taka, the better.

But while they seemed to be content, it broke Sachiko's heart. She didn't understand why they argued with each other so much. They were family. Shouldn't families be happy and loving?

"_Why do winds and waves rise in the ocean surrounding us?  
I only earnestly wish that wind will soon puff away all the clouds which  
are hanging over the tops of the mountains."_

She knew it had something to do with her. Maybe she did something bad. Perhaps it was that expensive vase she broke when she was three. She could pay it off with her allowance. Maybe then they could finally be a happy family.

"Sachi-chan, your voice just keeps getting worse and worse."

"Kargo?" Sachiko turned around and saw Kargo standing just outside the chamber of worship. He was leaning against the doorframe with Dende's journal in his hand, smirking.

"Who else would it be? Now come outside. I have to tell you something."

Sachiko was about to rise, but stopped herself halfway. "I can't. I have to finish the prayers."

"What, you're not done screeching yet?"

"It is not screeching! And anyway, I have to at least perform the peace prayer. It protects the shrine and all of the nearby villages."

Kargo snorted. "Suit yourself. I spent hours trying to sneak away from my dad, almost getting killed in the process, and you can't even give me five minutes of your time. Some friend you are." Kargo turned and began to walk away.

"Wait…" Sachiko bit her lip. This wasn't fair! She had to perform the peace prayer, or else Grandpa would have her head…but Kargo rarely came over to see her. Oh, now she felt so guilty!

_He looks so_ _angry and sad_, her mind hissed. _You can always perform the peace prayer another time. The villages will be all right for a few minutes. Besides, when will you get another chance to see Kargo down on Earth?_

Curse Kargo and her affection for him. "Wait!" she yelled as she got off the jaded mat. "I'm coming with you!"

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

Still in her miko robes, she followed Kargo until they reached a clearing in the forest, which was very far from the shrine. It was a very ugly place; clear-cutters had once tried to cut down all the trees in the forest, and would have succeeded too, if Goushi had not interfered. Still, bare stumps littered the area, and unlike the rest of the chittering forest, this place was eerily quiet. The sun shone brightly there, blinding anyone without shades of some sort. It felt haunted.

But it was also private.

Kargo sat down on one of the dead tree stumps and opened the journal. Sachiko noticed that there were small slips of paper sticking out of the book, more than last time, but chose not to comment.

"Okay, I found out the name of our Saiya-jins," he said as he read a page. "The two pure-blooded ones, ironically the strongest ones, were Goku and Vegeta."

Sachiko frowned. Why did Goku sound familiar? She felt as if she heard that name before. To Kargo, she asked, "There are two now? Which one am I supposedly related to?"

"Both," said Kargo. "It seems that Vegeta's oldest son married Goku's granddaughter, while Vegeta's daughter married Goku's second son."

Sachiko thought for a moment, before an unsettling detail forced its way through her mind. "Wait a minute," she said uneasily. "Weren't there age differences between the first two?"

"Apparently they didn't seem to mind age differences back then," Kargo commented. "That's a bit freaky, I admit. But either way, you're related to both of them. _If_ they are your ancestors."

"Which they're probably not," Sachiko muttered. She bent down to pick up a dead flower near a tree stump. "Is that all?"

"No. There's another thing I wanted to tell you. Well, if my guesses are correct, you'll experience it firsthand."

Sachiko cocked her head curiously. "What is it?"

"Both Goku, Vegeta, and some of their male descendants were able to transform into something called Super Saiya-jins." Kargo pointed down at one of the pages. "They were able to turn their hair gold and their eyes green. They were able to summon unbelievable strength. They were able to become the strongest in the universe!" Kargo looked up at Sachiko with luminous eyes. "I want you to try it, Sachi. I want to see if you can become a Super Saiya-jin."

For a minute, Sachiko just stared at him dumbly. Then she slapped him (lightly) upside the head. "You poop-for-brains! We don't even know if I'm actually a descendant! What if this transformation is painful? What if my brain melts from the effort and oozes out of my ears? How are you going to explain this to Grandfather?"

"It's not painful!" Kargo said, rubbing the area that Sachiko hit. "I checked how they did it. It seems that you have to get really angry and scream a lot while focusing your ki."

"I have to…what?"

"You have to basically focus your ki, get angry, and scream a lot," repeated Kargo.

Scowling, Sachiko folded her arms and sat down grumpily on a nearby stump. "No way," she said. "I am not going to scream my brains out for some silly guess."

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

"AAAAAAAGGGGGGGHHHH!"

Sachiko screamed as loud as she could, trying to focus her ki into…whatever it was that would allow her to transform. Kargo watched her from behind, looking to see if there was even a slight change in her hair.

"I think I saw one spike Sachi!" Kargo yelled over her screaming. "No wait…that was just the wind."

"AAAAGGGH!" Sachiko stopped screaming and collapsed to the ground, panting. She grabbed a fistful of dead soil and cursed silently. It was nearly nightfall; she had been gone for hours. Grandfather would kill her! And to top it off, she was exhausted and had a sore throat.

"I was so sure this was going to work," Kargo muttered. "I was positive…"

"Forget it." Sachiko picked herself off the ground. "I just want to go home."

"Sorry. I should have just let you finish your prayers. I bothered you for nothing."

"It's alright—" Sachiko began, then stopped. Prayers…prayers…the peace prayer! She completely forgot! "Oh no…" Pushing Kargo aside, she began to run towards the shrine as quickly as she could. _Let everything be okay, _she thought feverishly_. Let everything be okay…please. _

When she reached the shrine, she found the house deserted. In the house, on the coffee table, Sachiko found a note left by her mother.

**Sachiko,**

**Several of the nearby villages have been attacked. Your grandfather and I are going to investigate. Lock all the doors and don't let anyone in the house until we get home.**

**Okaasan.**

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

**Read and review.**

Disclaimer: Don't own DBZ. Ha.

A/N: Thanks to all reviewers.

**_Chapter Two: Dende's Journal_**

Sachiko stared at him blankly. "Um…what's an ancestor? And who's Dende? Is he important?" Kargo groaned and slapped a hand to his forehead.

"Are you that dense, Sachi-chan?" Kargo asked. "An ancestor is someone who lived bazillions of years ago but is related to us. An ancestor is like, our great-great-great-great-great-great-great grandfather. Or grandmother," he added thoughtfully.

"If they lived that long ago," Sachiko said, "wouldn't they be dead by now?"

"It doesn't matter!" Kargo yelled, throwing his hands in the air in frustration. "The _point is_ that I found Dende's journal. Dende was the second Namekian to be the guardian of the Earth. We have information that goes back almost six hundred years ago!" Kargo held the old book dramatically in front of Sachiko's face. "Can't you _feel_ the knowledge, Sachi? The promise of old secrets and juicy gossip? The lifestyle of the ancient ones? CAN'T YOU FEEL IT?" Kargo paused, waiting for her reaction.

"..."

"..."

A loud growl from the girl's midsection suddenly broke the moment. Sachiko glanced at her stomach, before giving Kargo a zombie-like look. "Starving. Wanna eat pork buns…_now_."

Kargo lowered the book and scowled. "Damn it…why do I get the feeling that you completely missed the point?" Still, he took her by the hand and led her to the kitchen.

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

Piccolo frowned. "This is ridiculous Goushi. I'm the guardian of the Earth, not your personal psychiatrist. You can't keep running up here every time Taka makes you feel like crap."

"Hey! I came only because Sachiko wanted to come see your son. The fact that you also happen to be here is mere coincidence." Goushi turned away from Piccolo's piercing stare and began to twist the edge of his beard.

"Can't you patch things up with her already? It's been ten years for crying out loud! No matter what you do, Taka will always be an unwed mother. Sachiko will always be fatherless."

"Dum-dee-dum-dum…"

"Damn it! Don't you hum while I'm talking to you!"

Still humming loudly, Goushi unconsciously pulled out tuffs of his beard as he went to the edge of the lookout. Looking down at the Earth, a smirk suddenly made its way through his face. "You know," Goushi said, "Sachiko gave me this cut today. A real doozey." He touched the semi-dry scar on his cheek, wincing slightly at the soreness.

"Don't change the subject!" Piccolo yelled, but glanced at the wound anyway. His eyes grew wide with surprise. "Sachiko gave you that?"

Goushi nodded. "That's not all. While we were flying up here, I tried to get her to fly vertically. She was struggling at first, but at one point, when she had her eyes closed and was focused, she flew up a thousand feet in mere seconds. When she opened her eyes, she lost the focus and fell, but still…" Goushi turned to Piccolo, whose eyes were now as round as dinner plates. "She's becoming unnaturally strong. Well, she was unnatural to begin with. What normal child is born with a tail? I worry about her Piccolo. Sometimes I wonder if the Gods are punishing Sachiko for Taka's mistake."

"You're overreacting," Piccolo said in a would-be calm voice. "Sachiko is the most gentle, loving human being I have ever met. For all we know, the strength and tail would be a blessing, not a punishment. Anyway, you were proud of her in the beginning for being so strong."

Goushi sighed. "That's true."

An uncomfortable silence fell over the two men.

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

"Mmm! Tee 're deliceeus, Fister Bopo!"

What started out as a mountain of pork and chicken buns had now dwindled to a molehill as Sachiko began to gulp them down at lightning speed. Kargo watched her with a mixture of amazement and disgust, even though he had watched her eat several times before. It was impossible to even see the food going _into_ her mouth. However, Mr. Popo just smiled, as if this was something he was used to seeing on a daily basis.

As far as Sachiko and Kargo knew, Mr. Popo had lived at the lookout tower since before their great-great grandparents were born. A short, round dijinn with black skin that was as shriveled as dried prunes, no one really knew his exact age. Kargo often said that he expected the guy to drop dead any second, but Mr. Popo continued to live on, always smiling and ready to be of assistance, even if he was getting a bit senile.

"Wha 'bout too?" Sachiko mumbled to Kargo, accidentally spraying him with bits of chicken in the process. "Oops…'oory Cago."

Kargo flicked the bits of meat off of him and groaned. "Swallow Sachi-chan, I'm begging you!"

Sachiko swallowed her mouthful and grinned at him. "Sorry Kargo-kun." Kargo's cheeks turned dark purple at her grin, but he quickly frowned.

"Don't call me that," he grumbled. "It makes me sound like I'm a kid."

Sachiko cocked her head to the side. "But you are a kid."

"So? Ah, forget it. No use trying to explain to _you_."

"Aren't you going to eat any?" Sachiko asked, pointing to the five remaining pork and chicken buns on the plate.

Kargo snorted. "You know Nameks don't eat. But I _will_ have some of that soda." He swiped Sachiko's cup away from her and began to gulp it down rapidly.

"Hey! That's mine!" Sachiko immediately tried to grab it back, but Kargo stood up on his chair and continued to drink out of her reach. Ignoring her continuous protests, Kargo drank until the glass was three-quarters empty. _Then_ he gave the glass back.

"All yours," he said, smirking. Sachiko fumed and pouted, but drank what was left anyway. Kargo watched her for a while, then leaned over and lowered his voice so that Mr. Popo couldn't hear. "You know Sachi, I already read a couple of pages of the journal. It mentions a lot of cool things."

"Like what?" Sachiko whispered back as she put the glass down.

"Well for starters…" Kargo cast a quick glance at Mr. Popo, who was busy clearing the table. "Mr. Popo was alive back then. He was the assistant to Dende five hundred and fifty years ago."

Sachiko turned to Mr. Popo so quickly that her long hair flew in different directions, swatting Kargo in the face. "You're over five hundred years old?" Sachiko shrieked, starling Mr. Popo. "That's amazing! How did you live all these years?" Sachiko fixed her gaze on Mr. Popo, completely unaware of Kargo's furious motions for her to be quiet.

Mr. Popo stood still, dumbly holding a plate that he had been clearing away. After staring at the two children, he put the plate down and drew out a nearby chair. "Oh dear," he murmered as he sat down. "How did you find out? No one really knew about my true age…"

"Mr. Popo! You're avoiding the question!" Sachiko whined, pouting as she did so. "OW! Why'd you kick me Kargo?" She glared angrily at her Namekian friend, who returned the glare.

"Ex-nay on the estions-quay," he said through gritted teeth.

Sachiko's angry face went blank. "What?"

"I said, _ex-nay_ on the _estions-quay_."

"_What_? I can't understand you. It's like you're speaking in code."

"Never mind! Just come with me!" Kargo grabbed Sachiko's arm and began to drag her out of the kitchen. Before he left, he turned to Mr. Popo and gave him a nervous smile. "Sachi-chan says the weirdest things. Just forget this conversation ever happened, okay?" With that, he left the kitchen, pulling a very rumpled Sachiko behind him.

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

When they were a safe distance away, Sachiko wiggled out of Kargo's grasp and kicked him in the shins.

"EEOOOWWWCH!" Kargo cried out, hopping on one leg while furiously rubbing the other. "What the hell was that for?"

"For dragging me out like that before my questions were answered!" Sachiko yelled back. "And for kicking me first! _And for drinking my soda!_"

"SSSSSHHHHH!" Kargo shushed Sachiko and pulled her into a nearby room. He closed the door and took out the journal. "This book has lots of information," he said quietly. "But we can't tell anyone about this! Especially not Mr. Popo!"

Frowning, Sachiko snatched the book from Kargo and began flipping through the pages. "Why not Mr. Popo?" she asked. "He's the nicest person in the world!"

"He's the _last _person we should be telling about this!" Kargo snapped. "Don't you know how close he is to my dad?"

"Do you mean 'physically' close or 'friendship' close? Okaasan told me that there was a difference, but she never explained it to me…"

"Okay...I'm not even going to answer that." Kargo grabbed the book back from Sachiko. "But just know that if my dad finds out I have this, he's going to kick my ass from here to the place with the burning, burning flames."

"Why? Where did you get this anyway?"

Kargo swallowed nervously and glanced at the door to make sure it was locked. Then he turned back to Sachiko and whispered, "I took it from Mr. Popo's Room of Records."

Sachiko stared at him unbelievably. "Kargo! No one is allowed in there without Mr. Popo or Piccolo-san! Why didn't you just ask them if you could borrow it?"

"You've got to be kidding me!" Kargo shrieked. "You know how dad gets! Every time I go in that room with him, he doesn't let me touch anything! He just gives me a bunch of shitty scrolls and never even lets me _look_ at the good stuff!"

"Okay, okay…calm down," said Sachiko as she took one of his hands. "Just tell me what you read."

"Okay," said Kargo as he opened the book to a marked page. "I didn't finish reading this," he admitted, "but I did find something interesting. Dende knew a couple of men who were really strong back then I think they even saved the world a couple of times. But the strongest one—get this—had a _tail_. A tail just like yours!"

Sachiko's jaw dropped. "No way."

"I'm serious! Dende called him a…Saiya-jin. He wasn't from this planet, Sachi! I think he may be your ancestor!"

For a minute, it seemed to make sense. Or maybe she just wanted it to make sense. It would have easily explained where she got her tail from, and why she always felt so different and out of place. But a small voice in her head, the everlasting voice of reason, shattered the image indefinitely.

"How come Grandpa and Okaasan don't have tails then?" Sachiko asked. "If I have one, shouldn't they have one too?"

Kargo closed the book and frowned. "Huh. Well…maybe it's from your dad's side. I mean, you don't really know much about him, other than the fact that he was really powerful. Besides," he gave her a smirk, "when I read about the Saiya-jin, his personality reminded me of you. Well, you're not as dense, but still…the happiness and the joy…it was creepy. And—"

Suddenly, the doorknob began to rattle and someone began to pound on the wood furiously. "Hey! Who's in there?"

"Cripes! It's my dad!" Kargo stuffed the book back inside his hoodie just as the door burst open, revealing a very frustrated looking Piccolo. "Hiya dad," Kargo said brightly, wearing his most innocent face. "What's up?"

Piccolo stared at Kargo suspiciously. "What's up? I should be asking you two what you were doing in here. Goushi and I were searching the whole darn tower looking for you!"

"Gomen, Piccolo-san." Sachiko lowered her head in and apology. "We didn't mean to scare you so much." She lifted her head and gave Piccolo the cutest pout she could muster.

It worked like a charm. The frustration on the Namek's face melted away, and Piccolo sighed as he shook his head. "Go wait outside. Your grandfather's probably ready to jump off the tower looking for you."

Sachiko bowed again and slowly walked out. As she did, she caught Kargo mouthing a few words to her. It looked like, "I'll find out more later."

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

A full week had passed after her meeting with Kargo, but Sachiko had no time to reflect on the events. As fun as the Namek was, she still had her duties as a miko. In the small stone room, she kneeled on a jaded mat in the traditional white and red miko robes. As she stared at the mirror that was representative of Amaterasu, she took a deep breath and began to sing the prayer in a loud, sturdy voice.

"_Although the people living cross the Ocean surrounding us,  
I believe, all our brothers and sisters,  
Why are there constant troubles in the world?"_

Things seemed to have calmed down between Goushi and Taka; at least they were formal to each other again. However Taka spent more and more time at the police station. She left early in the morning and returned late at night. Goushi didn't seem to have a problem with this, he expressed verbally that the less he saw of Taka, the better.

But while they seemed to be content, it broke Sachiko's heart. She didn't understand why they argued with each other so much. They were family. Shouldn't families be happy and loving?

"_Why do winds and waves rise in the ocean surrounding us?  
I only earnestly wish that wind will soon puff away all the clouds which  
are hanging over the tops of the mountains."_

She knew it had something to do with her. Maybe she did something bad. Perhaps it was that expensive vase she broke when she was three. She could pay it off with her allowance. Maybe then they could finally be a happy family.

"Sachi-chan, your voice just keeps getting worse and worse."

"Kargo?" Sachiko turned around and saw Kargo standing just outside the chamber of worship. He was leaning against the doorframe with Dende's journal in his hand, smirking.

"Who else would it be? Now come outside. I have to tell you something."

Sachiko was about to rise, but stopped herself halfway. "I can't. I have to finish the prayers."

"What, you're not done screeching yet?"

"It is not screeching! And anyway, I have to at least perform the peace prayer. It protects the shrine and all of the nearby villages."

Kargo snorted. "Suit yourself. I spent hours trying to sneak away from my dad, almost getting killed in the process, and you can't even give me five minutes of your time. Some friend you are." Kargo turned and began to walk away.

"Wait…" Sachiko bit her lip. This wasn't fair! She had to perform the peace prayer, or else Grandpa would have her head…but Kargo rarely came over to see her. Oh, now she felt so guilty!

_He looks so_ _angry and sad_, her mind hissed. _You can always perform the peace prayer another time. The villages will be all right for a few minutes. Besides, when will you get another chance to see Kargo down on Earth?_

Curse Kargo and her affection for him. "Wait!" she yelled as she got off the jaded mat. "I'm coming with you!"

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

Still in her miko robes, she followed Kargo until they reached a clearing in the forest, which was very far from the shrine. It was a very ugly place; clear-cutters had once tried to cut down all the trees in the forest, and would have succeeded too, if Goushi had not interfered. Still, bare stumps littered the area, and unlike the rest of the chittering forest, this place was eerily quiet. The sun shone brightly there, blinding anyone without shades of some sort. It felt haunted.

But it was also private.

Kargo sat down on one of the dead tree stumps and opened the journal. Sachiko noticed that there were small slips of paper sticking out of the book, more than last time, but chose not to comment.

"Okay, I found out the name of our Saiya-jins," he said as he read a page. "The two pure-blooded ones, ironically the strongest ones, were Goku and Vegeta."

Sachiko frowned. Why did Goku sound familiar? She felt as if she heard that name before. To Kargo, she asked, "There are two now? Which one am I supposedly related to?"

"Both," said Kargo. "It seems that Vegeta's oldest son married Goku's granddaughter, while Vegeta's daughter married Goku's second son."

Sachiko thought for a moment, before an unsettling detail forced its way through her mind. "Wait a minute," she said uneasily. "Weren't there age differences between the first two?"

"Apparently they didn't seem to mind age differences back then," Kargo commented. "That's a bit freaky, I admit. But either way, you're related to both of them. _If_ they are your ancestors."

"Which they're probably not," Sachiko muttered. She bent down to pick up a dead flower near a tree stump. "Is that all?"

"No. There's another thing I wanted to tell you. Well, if my guesses are correct, you'll experience it firsthand."

Sachiko cocked her head curiously. "What is it?"

"Both Goku, Vegeta, and some of their male descendants were able to transform into something called Super Saiya-jins." Kargo pointed down at one of the pages. "They were able to turn their hair gold and their eyes green. They were able to summon unbelievable strength. They were able to become the strongest in the universe!" Kargo looked up at Sachiko with luminous eyes. "I want you to try it, Sachi. I want to see if you can become a Super Saiya-jin."

For a minute, Sachiko just stared at him dumbly. Then she slapped him (lightly) upside the head. "You poop-for-brains! We don't even know if I'm actually a descendant! What if this transformation is painful? What if my brain melts from the effort and oozes out of my ears? How are you going to explain this to Grandfather?"

"It's not painful!" Kargo said, rubbing the area that Sachiko hit. "I checked how they did it. It seems that you have to get really angry and scream a lot while focusing your ki."

"I have to…what?"

"You have to basically focus your ki, get angry, and scream a lot," repeated Kargo.

Scowling, Sachiko folded her arms and sat down grumpily on a nearby stump. "No way," she said. "I am not going to scream my brains out for some silly guess."

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

"AAAAAAAGGGGGGGHHHH!"

Sachiko screamed as loud as she could, trying to focus her ki into…whatever it was that would allow her to transform. Kargo watched her from behind, looking to see if there was even a slight change in her hair.

"I think I saw one spike Sachi!" Kargo yelled over her screaming. "No wait…that was just the wind."

"AAAAGGGH!" Sachiko stopped screaming and collapsed to the ground, panting. She grabbed a fistful of dead soil and cursed silently. It was nearly nightfall; she had been gone for hours. Grandfather would kill her! And to top it off, she was exhausted and had a sore throat.

"I was so sure this was going to work," Kargo muttered. "I was positive…"

"Forget it." Sachiko picked herself off the ground. "I just want to go home."

"Sorry. I should have just let you finish your prayers. I bothered you for nothing."

"It's alright—" Sachiko began, then stopped. Prayers…prayers…the peace prayer! She completely forgot! "Oh no…" Pushing Kargo aside, she began to run towards the shrine as quickly as she could. _Let everything be okay, _she thought feverishly_. Let everything be okay…please. _

When she reached the shrine, she found the house deserted. In the house, on the coffee table, Sachiko found a note left by her mother.

**Sachiko,**

**Several of the nearby villages have been attacked. Your grandfather and I are going to investigate. Lock all the doors and don't let anyone in the house until we get home.**

**Okaasan.**

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

**Read and review.**


	3. The First Tragedy

Disclaimer: I don't own DBZ. All original characters are mine, as well as the plot.

A/N: Yay! Got a total of four reviews! Thanks everyone!

**_Chapter Three: The First Tragedy_**

"Sachi-chan, please calm down. You don't even know which village they went to!"

Sachiko stormed out of her room wearing an overly large white t-shirt that came down to her knees, almost completely concealing her dark green shorts. In her hands was a long red pole which she gripped tightly as she faced Kargo.

"The villages getting attacked is _my fault_, Kargo," she said, her golden eyes boring into his black ones. "I didn't perform the peace prayer, and now Grandpa and Okaasan might get hurt because of my mistake. I can't allow that!"

The Namek glared back at her with just as much intensity. "Oh come on! It could have been a coincidence! Just because you missed a prayer doesn't mean the world is going to end!"

For a moment, all Sachiko did was stare at him, her eyes turning somewhat watery. Then she walked over to him and leaned so close towards him that their noses were almost touching. Kargo blinked and would have backed away, but the look in her teary eyes told him to stay put. "Kargo," said Sachiko in a shaking voice, "you can either help me out or stay here. Maybe you're right. Maybe this is all just one big, scary coincidence. But as a miko, I just can't afford to take chances! You're my best friend. Are you going to help me or not?"

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

If a tourist ever walked into one of the villages near the Ameterasu shrine, he would think that he had gone back in time. Every part of the village, from the mud and straw huts to the silk-woven kimonos, looked like it came from the Feudal Era.

The people looked and acted like they came from the Feudal Era as well. The men were often seen hunting or farming. The women took care of their duties at home. Had there been any children, they would have been watching their parents to learn from them, but the villages were occupied only by the middle-aged and the elderly, by people who disliked the city and all of its complicated technology. They often visited the Ameterasu forest shrine, and they paid their respects not only to the sun goddess, but to Goushi as well, whom they named as their protector.

Or at least they did.

Kaze village looked like Hell's playground that night. Women screamed as torches sailed through the air, landing on and igniting their straw roofs with a sickening orange flame. They dashed out of their burning huts, only to be shot or dragged off and raped by the arsonists waiting outside. The men charged at the intruders with pitchforks and torches, determined to fight to the end. However their attackers were younger men, all teenage punks, all from the technological cities that the village men despised. Before the villagers even got close to them, the punks drew out their guns and blasted a hole through every one of their hearts. Bodies soon littered the ground.

"NO!" A woman kicked and screamed as she was dragged away by one of the intruders, who pulled her along the ground by her hair. In desperation she twisted her head, pulled his hand down, and bit it. The young man howled in pain as he let her go.

"BITCH!" The man screamed as he whipped out his gun. The woman shrieked and tried to scuttle away from him, but the man grabbed her by the throat and shoved the end of the gun into her mouth. "I'm gonna enjoy this whore," he said, grinning and revealing a set of yellow teeth. "Say your pray—"

Suddenly the man stopped. His eyes widened and his mouth, wide open, formed ghastly shapes, but no sound came out. The woman's shocked eyes were focused at his midsection and the man looked down to see the bloody end of a katana sticking out. Then, without warning, the sword shot up his body with a sickening sloshing noise, and the man fell down, dead. The woman looked up to see Goushi, who quickly pulled his sword out of the corpse.

"I'll hold them off," Goushi said as he helped the stunned woman to her feet. "Get out of the village and head for the shrine as quickly as you can! There's not much time!" The woman ran off, still not fully comprehending what had happened.

Goushi watched the woman leave before turning back to the corpse. A dark hatred filled him before he finally snarled and spat at the body in rage. _And Taka calls me outdated_, he thought bitterly. _Look what her beloved technology has done to this poor village._

"Otousan, look out!" Suddenly, Goushi felt a pair of hands shove him violently to the ground as two shots rang out behind him seconds later. Soft thuds on the earth followed, sounds that could have only been made by human bodies hitting the earth. Goushi got up and whirled around quickly, katana raised, but he was not prepared for what he saw.

Another one of the punks lay dead a few feet away, having been shot in the heart. But at his feet, in a widening pool of blood, lay Taka.

She was not moving.

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

"Well, Ame village is completely trashed," muttered Kargo.

Sachiko and Kargo had searched for hours, but all the villages they got to were either burnt to the ground or abandoned. Sachiko almost wanted to scream when they first arrived in Ame village; the place was covered with dead bodies. Kargo had to shield Sachiko's eyes from a body of a naked, mutilated woman that lay on the ground near the entrance. It was a horrible sight.

"How could someone do this?" Sachiko cried. "Where does evil come from, to make human beings act this way?" She stopped in front of a burnt down hut and sobbed. "This is all my fault…"

Kargo growled and smacked Sachiko upside the head, growling again when he heard her cry of pain. "Stop saying that!" he yelled. "My fault, my fault, my fault…it's not your fault! If anything it's the fault of the people who did this! Now let's stop crying and find these freaks so we can kick their ass!"

Sachiko sniffed back a tear as she rubbed her head. "I can't help it," she whispered. "The spirits of the dead…they're going to be wandering around in the afterlife forever, all because of me." She began to cry again.

Kargo was about to yell at her for blaming herself again, but stopped when he saw the tears spilling from her eyes. "Hey," he said in a more gentle tone, "don't cry. It's going to be okay…" He ripped off a piece of his hoodie and wiped her face. As he dried her tears, neither of them said anything. It was a disheartening moment.

Then came the sound of loud yawning. Inside one of the standing huts, Sachiko and Kargo saw a shadow moving from behind the shades.

One of the perpetrators was still here.

Silently, Kargo and Sachiko crept behind the remains of one of the burnt huts and watched cautiously. The shadow stepped out, yawning, and looked around the now decimated village. Sachiko gasped; the perpetrator was quite young, no more than twenty! But from his modern clothing and the gun he carried in one hand, she knew that he was no friendly Ame villager.

_How did evil make its way into the mind of such a young man?_

"Guys?" The man looked around the village, and grimaced as he stepped over a cadaver. "Where are you? Don't tell me you all left without me!"

The man walked closer to their hiding place, and Sachiko gripped the red pole tightly.

"Guys! Hey, you sons-of-bitches! Are any of you here?" He stopped, and was now seven feet away from where Kargo and Sachiko lay crouched. He turned around, showing his back to Sachiko.

That was all she needed.

Leaping like a waiting tiger, she sprang out from behind the burnt hut and brought the pole down on the man's head heavily, making sure not to kill him. The man cried out and fell to the ground, stunned but still conscious. Before he could recover, Sachiko quickly kicked the man's gun out of his reach where Kargo quickly picked it up. Sachiko jabbed the end of her pole at the man's throat.

"Okay," she said in a would-be threatening voice, "'fess up. Why are you attacking the villages?"

"What the fuck is this?" The man yelled angrily, completely ignoring Sachiko. "I'm bein' attacked by a monkey bitch and a Martian bastard!"

Kargo leaned over the man and pointed the gun down at the man's face. "I'm not a Martian," he snarled. "I'm a Namek. Answer the question or I'll shoot your head off." The man turned white and began immediately to shake with fear.

"H-hey man, c-calm down. You don't want to k-kill anyone now."

"You didn't seem to have a problem with killing the villagers," Kargo shot back. He jabbed the gun at the man's forehead. "NOW TALK!"

"Okay!" The man held his hands up as a sign of surrender. "But you guys are wasting your time! I don't know anything! We were just taking orders—"

"From who?" Kargo snapped.

"I don't know! We don't call the guy, the guy calls us! I swear I don't know anything more than that! Please don't kill me!" A dark stain was appearing on the man's pants; he had wet himself.

The Namek boy groaned and glanced at Sachiko. "This guy's hopeless. Should we kill him?" he joked.

"Wait." Sachiko jabbed her pole at the man's throat. "Where do you think your friends went?"

The man looked up at Sachiko; she could see that he was on the verge of crying. "I d-don't k-know," he admitted, "but I think they w-went to Kaze village. That's the b-biggest village in this place…"

Sachiko blinked before slowly removing the pole from the man's throat. Then, in a flash, she whacked him hard on the head. He crumpled to the ground, unconscious. "Drop the gun," she said to a stunned Kargo. "I don't like those things." Without a word, she turned to the direction of Kaze village.

Kargo slowly placed the gun on the floor. Before he joined Sachiko, however, he noticed a small logo on the side of the gun.

It said, "Caspsule Corp."

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

It was almost dawn by the time they reached Kaze village. Sachiko and Kargo walked in cautiously, in case it was another abandoned village, but this time they saw a few, blood soaked, weary villagers walking around, carrying the bodies of the fallen. Sachiko noticed that some bodies remained untouched, and that the bodies were covered by modern clothing like the man at Ame village.

One of the villagers realized that Sachiko and Kargo were standing at the entrance and she began to wail.

"It's the miko!" The old woman ran to Sachiko and fell at her feet, wailing. "Oh child! I don't—I can't—_oh child_!"

"Honored Elder…" Unsure of what to do, Sachiko bent down and took the woman's shriveled hand in an attempt to calm her down, but still the elder continued to weep.

The cry caught the attention of the other villagers, who limped out of their huts to see what was going on. They all gasped when they saw Sachiko, and several more old women ran and fell at her feet, crying hysterically. The young girl was beginning to get scared.

"Please don't cry!" Sachiko pleaded as all of the old women began to speak at the same time. "Just tell me what happened!"

"It's horrible—"

"Your grandfather came—"

"They set fire—"

"They shot so many people—"

"_They shouldn't have died!"_

"Enough!"

The women looked up and saw Ichiro, the leader of Kaze village. The women backed away, making a path for the elderly man. Sachiko made a quick motion to Kargo and together they bowed respectfully to Ichiro.

"Dear child," said Ichiro softly to Sachiko after she and Kargo looked up, "you shouldn't have come…"

"What happened?" Sachiko asked. She noticed the women scurrying into one of the huts in shushed whispers. "Where's my grandfather and where's my Okaasan?"

Ichiro sighed, a very forlorn sound coming from the old man's mouth. Then, he began to walk to the hut where the women had scurried. Curiously, Sachiko followed Ichiro while Kargo trailed her; uneasy about the looks he was getting from the old villagers. When they reached the door, the women already inside tried to block Sachiko from coming in.

"She can't see this! It's too much for a child to bear!" yelled Aiko, Ichiro's wife. Ichiro returned her glare with an icy stare of his own.

"She has to know!" Ichiro yelled back. "There is no point in keeping this from her! She will find out anyway."

"What's going on?" Sachiko demanded, pushing past Aiko. "What's in there?"

"Child, don't!" Aiko tried to stop her, but Sachiko dodged her grasp and went in the hut. At once a putrid, nauseating stench filled her nostrils and she immediately covered her nose, her head spinning slightly from the odor. The hut was fairly large, and was filled with many items, but Sachiko immediately found what the source of the stench was. In the corner, on two blood-stained futons, was the bodies of her mother, who had a gunshot wound on her forehead, and her grandfather, who had a deep cut in his throat.

The scream that Sachiko let out could be heard from miles around.

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

**Kargo: Damn…next chapter, I'll let Sachiko in on a little secret that could fix this shitty mess…but I hope she's in the mood to listen to more of my findings. (Opens journal) I wonder where I could find a dragon radar…WHAT? Capsule Corp.?**

**Read and Review.**


	4. Hope on a Legend

Disclaimer: Don't own DBZ.

A/N: Thanks to all reviewers!

**_Chapter Four: Hope on a Legend_**

Night quickly fell, as if Heaven itself couldn't bear to shed light on the pitiful village. There were several bodies that had yet to be buried, but the old villagers headed into their huts to rest, tired of digging graves, tired of mourning for the fallen, and tired of breathing the stench of death.

Sachiko continued to dig, smiling as she did so.

As she dug the shovel into the dirt for the forty-seventh time that day, Kargo couldn't help but notice that Sachiko's behavior in the last several hours had been strange. No, scratch that. It had been downright creepy.

At seeing the dead bodies of her Grandfather and Mother, Sachiko became absolutely hysterical. She had flung herself over them, screaming and imploring them to wake up with heart-wrenching cries. None of the villagers could do anything about this, and none of them even bothered to comfort her. It had gotten to the point where Kargo had to go in and remove her from the corpses by force, something far easier said than done. She had fought viciously against him, scratching him, punching him, and kicking him with unrelenting rage. But he held on until they were far away from the hut before he released her, and she ran into the forest, screaming.

Hours later she returned, her eyes red and puffy, her face pale and tear-stained. She walked in a sort of jerky manner, as if she was drunk, and she had a horribly forced smile on her face. When Kargo went out to greet her, she brushed past him without a word, still smiling that smile, and began to help the villagers carry out and bury their dead.

As if that hadn't been weird enough, at some point, a news crew from the city had come into the village, having found the "latest scoop" on primitive villages. They had poked and prodded at the villagers with countless questions, many of them unanswerable and others far too personal. When they had discovered that Goushi had been counted among the dead, they swooped down on Sachiko like vultures and asked her questions so informal that she had burst out crying for a full hour until they left.

Since their departure, Sachiko hadn't stopped digging, even for dinner.

When the last light diminished in the village, Kargo went up to Sachiko and angrily pulled the shovel out of her hands, throwing on the ground in disgust. She looked up and him, her insane grin slightly faltering.

"Do you want something?" she asked in a cheerful yet strained voice. Kargo only scowled and grabbed her arm, pulling her away from the grave she was digging, away from the village. Sachiko realized what he was doing and her grin was quickly replaced by a look of panic.

"Let me go!" She yanked her arm out of his grip and tried to go back, but he grabbed her again and spun her around so that they were face to face.

"You're going to drive yourself _insane_," Kargo snarled as gripped her shoulders tightly. "You're punishing yourself for something that wasn't even your fault! Well, I'm not just going to stand by and do nothing! We're going back to Korin's tower—NOW!"

"I can't go!" Sachiko cried, her voice becoming slightly hysterical. "Grandpa…he'd want me to bury them…I have to!"

Kargo stared at her, open-mouthed. "Sachi…Goushi-sama is dead."

"NO!" Sachiko covered her ears and closed her eyes tightly. "Don't say that! I don't want to think that!"

"HE'S DEAD!" Kargo screamed into her face. "HE AND TAKA-SAN ARE DEAD! STOP DOING THIS TO YOURSELF! DON'T PRETEND THIS ISN'T HAPPENING BECAUSE IT IS! _THEY—ARE—DEAD_!"

At his words Sachiko began to sob hysterically and tore herself away from his grasp. She stumbled for a few feet before collapsing on the ground, her legs no longer able to support her. Her hands clenched the earth as tears spilled down her pale cheeks. Kargo knelt down on the ground beside her and pulled her into a furious hug.

"Sachi-chan," he whispered, "please don't cry anymore. You're gonna rip my heart out along with yours."

"What am I going to do?" Sachiko whispered against his chest. Her tail dropped sadly to the ground. "I don't know how I can move on…"

"You can stay with me and my dad. He adores you, I'm sure he'll understand."

Sachiko gently pulled away from Kargo. "I can't abandon the shrine," she said quietly. "It's all I have left of Grandpa. And our house is all I have left of Okaasan."

Kargo stared at her. "Sachi…"

"And," Sachiko continued even more quietly, "I have to be in charge of the shrine. People will be coming to the shrine more than ever because of all the deaths, and I have to be there for them. It's the least I can do…" She faltered off.

Kargo couldn't believe what he was hearing. _Was this girl for real?_ He leaned closer to her and took one of her hands. "Sachi," he said slowly, "what if I told you…that there _might_ be a way to bring them back?"

Sachiko's eyes grew wide as she looked into his uneasy face. "How!" she gasped.

"I read in the journal that—"

"Never mind. I don't want to have anything to do with that journal anymore." Sachiko tried to pull away, but Kargo's grip on her hand held fast.

"Listen Sachi-chan! I think this is the real deal. If I can make this work, we can bring back Goushi-sama, your mother, and all the villagers that were killed. We can even restore all of the destroyed villages!"

Sachiko blinked and stopped trying to pull away. "Okay…I'm listening. Wait, what was that?" She craned her head over Kargo's shoulder, trying to peek into the bushed behind him.

"That was a squirrel," Kargo said quickly, not really noticing what it was. "But what I'm trying to explain to you is—"

"Why you haven't been in the lookout for over twenty-four hours," a deep voice rumbled behind him. Kargo eeped and turned around slowly. Behind him stood a very pissed off, very unhappy looking Piccolo.

That wasn't good.

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

"I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU WENT OFF LIKE THAT WITHOUT EVEN TELLING ME! HOW COULD YOU BE SO IRRESPONSIBLE? DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA OF HOW WORRIED I'VE BEEN!"

Kargo's left eye twitched as some of his father's spit went flying onto his face, but he didn't dare wipe it off. Any movement he made in this situation could be fatal. Or at least very, very painful.

"I SEARCHED ALL OF WEST CITY LOOKING FOR YOU! WEST CITY! _YOU KNOW HOW MUCH I HATE WEST CITY_!"

Kargo gulped and decided to at least attempt to defend himself. "Dad, I just went to see Sachi-chan— "

"YOU KNOW THAT GIRL IS GOING THROUGH A HARD TIME RIGHT NOW! SHE HAS ENOUGH ON HER SHOULDERS WITHOUT YOU MAKING THINGS WORSE! NOW GO TO YOUR ROOM!"

What Piccolo didn't know was that Sachiko was_ in_ his room, but Kargo decided not to mention it. He just bowed as respectfully as he could before giving his father the finger as soon as his back was turned. _Fucking bastard_, he thought as he walked down the long white corridors to his room. _He thinks that he's always right, just because he's the guardian of the Earth. When I take over things are going to change. Goddamn fucking bastard._

When he reached his room, he pushed open the heavy white doors and found Sachiko sitting cross-legged on his bed, with a small white ball of ki forming between her cupped hands. She looked up when he cleared his throat, and the ball vanished.

"I heard Piccolo-san's yelling from in here," she said, giving Kargo a worried look. "Are you okay? He didn't bust a wall or anything, did he?"

"He'll get over it," Kargo said nonchalantly as he plopped himself on the bed next to Sachiko. "But I right now I want to continue our conversation from where we left off." He looked at Sachiko with a serious look on his face. "Sachi…I think we can bring them back if we make a wish on the dragonballs."

"Oh." Sachiko nodded, then stared at him blankly. "What are dragon…balls?"

"Well, there are two ways of interpreting that," Kargo said, a slightly dirty grin spreading across his face, "but Dende's dragonballs were little orange balls that each had a certain number of stars on it. There were seven I think…anyway, they are usually scattered around the world, so one often had to travel a long time to get these little gems. But it would be worth it."

"Why?"

"Because once all seven balls are together, a gigantic dragon would appear to grant you one or two wishes. You could wish for anything you want, which includes _bringing back the dead._"

Sachiko's eyes grew wide. "You mean…"

"That's right Sachi-chan. We can bring everyone back!"

Sachiko clasped her hands together in glee, then stopped. "Wait…if these dragonballs can do that, then how come the whole world doesn't know about them?"

Kargo chuckled. "Use your common sense Sachi-chan. If you had gems that could grant you wishes, I don't think that you would go broadcasting it to the entire world. If they were in the wrong hands, just think how much chaos they could create. What happened to the villages will seem like heaven compared to the potential disasters the dragonballs could make."

Sachiko paled at the thought of the village, and she fought the urge to cry. Swallowing, she asked, "Then why make something so…potentially dangerous?"

"They were used for good too, remember that Sachi. Besides, back then, only Dende and his friends knew about them, and they only used them in emergencies."

"Oh…it's kind of like Aladdin's lamp," said Sachiko thoughtfully. Then she smiled and hopped off the bed. "Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go find these balls!" She began to run for the door.

"Hold on there!" Kargo yelled, grabbing Sachiko's arm. "There's a minor problem. The dragonballs kind of don't exist right now."

That wiped Sachiko's grin right off her face. "They don't…WHAT? Then what was the point of telling me all this!"

"They don't exist right now," Kargo patiently explained, "because Dende had a spiritual link with the dragonballs. After he died, the dragonballs disappeared with him. And no other Namek after him has ever tried to make dragonballs…until now."

Sachiko cocked her head to the side. "Whad'ya mean?"

Kargo grinned. "I mean…I'm going to make a new set of dragonballs."

"Really! How!"

"Just leave that to me Sachi-chan," Kargo said as he patted her head. "But right now…I think we should get out of here."

"Why Kargo?" Sachiko asked.

"We have an appointment…with West City."

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

"We have an appointment…with the dishwasher."

Kargo stood waist-deep in dirty dishes and soapy water. Even though Nameks didn't eat, Piccolo had purposely made sixty-five dishes dirty so that Kargo could clean it up. The rest of the food went into Sachiko's belly.

"Shut up Sachi-chan," Kargo snapped, trying to scrape some dried cheese off of a casserole dish. "I don't see why I have to do all the cleaning…"

"I want to help," Sachiko insisted, "but Piccolo-san won't let me." And it was true. When she asked if she could help, Piccolo had told her not to lift a finger; she was their guest, and it made no sense for her to lighten something Kargo clearly deserved. So she said nothing. As she licked the ice-cream off her eighth cone, she frowned. "When are we going to get to West City, Kargo? Why are we going there anyway?"

Kargo stopped scrubbing the sauce pan and looked around to see if anyone was listening. When it was clear, he said quietly, "We need to get a Dragon radar."

"Cool! What's that?"

"It's something that Dende used to track down the dragonballs," Kargo said. "Before I can, uh, make them, I have to have something that will allow us to find them before they become too noticeable. No sense in alerting the whole world about it."

Sachiko nodded, remembering what Kargo had said about the dragonballs earlier.

"You know, the Saiya-jin Vegeta had a wife who was a super rich, super smart C.E.O. She created the dragon radar which made finding the balls a lot easier."

"What's a C.E.O.?"

"Honestly!" Kargo yelled, flinging his hands in the air and sending dishwater all around the kitchen. "Didn't Goushi teach you anything?"

Sachiko wiped some of the water off of her forehead and nodded. "Sure! He taught me how to take care of the shrine, he taught me how to control, increase, and suppress my ki, and he taught me how to fight—"

"I don't hear scrubbing!" Piccolo's voice boomed from somewhere far away, and Kargo quickly went back to washing.

"How did he know?" Sachiko asked in amazement.

"Our ears are supersensitive. Goddamn that man," Kargo swore. "He's going to ruin everything…"

Sachiko gave Kargo a disapproving look. "You shouldn't say things like that about your dad."

"Well it's true," Kargo snarled as he accidentally broke the plate he was holding. "He doesn't understand anything! I swear one day, I'm gonna—"

"Hi kids," Mr. Popo said as he walked in. He stopped in front of Sachiko and smiled. "Well, if it isn't Goushi's precious Sachiko. Or was it Sachiko's precious Goushi? I forget nowadays…" Sachiko sweatdropped.

"I'm Sachiko," she said in a loud clear voice.

"I see," he said as he turned to Kargo. "Dende!" he exclaimed. "Why are you cleaning dishes?"

The edges of Kargo's lips began to curl upwards while Sachiko cocked her head in confusion.

"Mr. Popo!" Kargo said suddenly. "I ordered you to clean these dishes hours ago! You were gone so long that I had to do it myself! Look at my hands!" Kargo held up his hands to reveal ten wrinkled fingers. "They're pruney!"

"Kargo, what are you doing?" Sachiko asked "Cleaning the dishes is—EEE!" Kargo slid a piece of chocolate cake in front of her face and she went into peals of delight, forgetting all about Mr. Popo.

"As I was saying," said Kargo as he turned to a now confused Mr. Popo, "I want these dishes clean by the time my friends and I get back. Goku left the place a mess! Him and his consistent eating frenzies…"

"I'm so sorry Dende," Mr. Popo apologized. "I'll clean up this mess at once." Mr. Popo began to wash the dishes thoroughly as Kargo pulled Sachiko out of the kitchen.

"Wait! I still had one more bite!" Sachiko whined. Kargo said nothing and instead pulled her to his room, where he had two black packs ready in the corner.

"Okay," said Kargo, "now that I've brought us some time, we have to get out of here. Grab a pack."

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

Sachiko and Kargo crept around the lookout, keeping their ki to an absolute minimum. So far, they had not seen even a glimpse of Piccolo or Mr. Popo (Sachiko suspected that he was still washing dishes), but when they reached the edge of the lookout, Sachiko froze as Kargo leapt into the air naturally.

"What's wrong?" Kargo asked.

"I still have trouble flying," Sachiko whimpered, and stepped back. "Can't we walk to West City?"

"We still have to fly down," Kargo pointed out. "Come on…just jump off the tower and fly. It's just like breathing."

_Yeah…like breathing underwater_, Sachiko thought. Still…if she didn't do it, they may never have another chance to go to West City. She took a deep breath and ran, leaping off the edge at the last minute. She closed her eyes and focused her ki as hard as she could, and felt her body speeding in the air in a horizontal direction. _I'm doing it! I can fly!_

"Wahoo! Keep it up!" Kargo's voice seemed to come from behind her, and Sachiko opened her eyes to turn her head and give him a grin—and that was when she realized how high up she was. _Oh my gods…_

"Sachi!" Kargo sped towards her as she dropped like at stone in the middle of the air, catching her just before she crashed into a tree. Gasping from fright and from having to fly that fast, Kargo stared down at the girl quivering in his arms. She was clutching his neck in a vice-like grip, and her tail was curled up in fright. "Oh Sachi," he sighed.

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

"Here we are…the big city."

After the flying incident, Kargo had carried Sachiko most of the way, but they had walked when they reached the outer limits of the city.

When they actually reached the city itself, Kargo had to restrain Sachiko from _herself_. This was her first experience in the city; never in her life had she seen so many stores, so many easy accessories! Stores for clothing, toys, food…Kargo had to drag her away from a five-star restaurant as she drooled all over the display window.

Everything was automated, everything was technological. There were moving sidewalks, robotic aides to help tourists, watches that could double as visual phones, etc. Sachiko was absolutely amazed. She could now understand why her mother liked the city so much. It was full of excitement beyond anything the forest could offer. At the same time she felt a pang of guilt for thinking such thoughts. _I'm a traitor to grandpa for even coming here_, she thought sadly. _But the results are worth it._

Now in the heart of the metropolis, they stood on moving sidewalks as Kargo put his hoodie up to hide his face, something that confused Sachiko.

"Why are you putting your hood up?" she asked him. Kargo glared at her.

"I have to hide my face. If the humans see me, they're going to take me to an autopsy lab and dissect me."

"But the villagers liked you."

Kargo scoffed as he remembered their apprehensive looks. "Yeah right…even if they did, it was because I was with you."

"Well…I like you."

Kargo's face turned dark purple. "Well…you've known me all your life. Besides, I wouldn't exactly call you human either." He pointed to her tail, which she wrapped self-consciously around her waist.

"So where are we supposed to go?" she asked, trying to change the topic. Kargo blinked, and then pointed to a _very_ large building.

"Capsule Corps. was the name of the company that Vegeta's wife owned. This is one of the largest branches in the world. Hopefully, there's someone who still has the blueprints of a Dragon radar in the back room, or at least a prototype."

"What?" Sachiko stared at him in disbelief as they stopped outside the building. "What if they don't have a proto-what-cha-ma-call-it? What then?"

Kargo shrugged. "Then I just make the balls and we try to find them some other way."

"But—"

"Look, I don't really feel comfortable either," he said, frowning, "but we're here anyway. Come one, let's go inside." Kargo pulled Sachiko past the automated doors into the building, which was stunningly beautiful. It was very spacious, and almost everything was made of expertly carved marble. There were many elevators made of glass, but the large white elevator in the middle looked especially appealing. People walked into it and disappeared in a flash of light, only to reappear on a different floor in a millisecond. Sachiko was stunned beyond belief while Kargo simply shrugged it off. "No harm in just looking—"

"Hold it!" Rough hands grabbed Sachiko and spun her around; she found herself face to face with a very large, very hairy gorilla of a man. She gulped.

"Is there a problem sir—I mean sirs?" she corrected when she noticed that a similar man had grabbed Kargo as well. The gorilla glared at her.

"No kids allowed here. This is a corporation, not a playground."

"What if it was a corporation for playgrounds?" Sachiko asked. The gorilla blinked.

"Huh…I don't know…HEY! Don't be smart!" He began to drag Sachiko towards the door. "Get out!"

"You don't understand!"

"I understand plenty. Now get—OOOFF!" The guard stopped suddenly, and then his eyes began to water. Sachiko lowered her knee and backed away from the guard, who was now curled into the fetal position on the floor.

"Riko!" The other guard let go of Kargo and ran to help his friend, but Kargo immediately tripped him and gave him a blow to the head that quickly knocked him out.

"Take that!" Kargo yelled. The guard crouching on the floor groaned, and lifted one of his hands to his belt, touching a red button that was on the buckle.

"What are you doing?" Sachiko asked, but fell silent when she saw several guards emerging from various rooms, and from various elevators. Her eyes widened. They had to fight all that?

Kargo however, had other ideas. "Come on Sachi!" Kargo yelled and began to drag her away from the guards. Shoving a man aside, Kargo pushed Sachiko into the white elevator, jumping in just before the flash. Before either of them could blink, they found themselves on another floor.

"Where are we?" Sachiko asked, looking around. The halls here reminded her of the lookout; long, white, and empty.

Kargo pressed a finger to his lips, and Sachiko could hear faint voices around the corner. She looked around and spotted an open door across the hall. "In there," she whispered, and they crept silently across the hall and slipped silently into the room, closing the door behind them.

"Safe," Sachiko muttered. "For now. What was their deal? Can't we even ask someone for information without getting killed?"

"That's the city Sachi," Kargo replied as he leaned against the door. "Trust is just a word. Not something to be taken seriously."

Sachiko frowned and twisted a lock of her dark blue hair. "Well, we can't stay here forever," she said. Then she looked around the room and her eyes lit up. "Hey…this room is full of training weights! And some other weird machines!"

Kargo observed this as well. "The machines are exercise machines, Sachi-chan. But what would training weights and exercise machines be doing in a corporate building?"

"What are exercise machi—" Sachiko began, but was cut off when a tall, muscular, black-haired boy stormed in from a door at the other side of the room (which they somehow missed). Dressed in a skin tight blur gi, he fixed a piercing glare at Sachiko, ignoring Kargo completely.

"What the fuck are you two kids doing in here?"

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

**Sachiko: Uh oh…we're in big trouble now. But why'd the tall boy have to use the F-word? That's not nice! Anyway, things will eventually get cleared up, and hopefully we won't get thrown out. Wait Kargo…what do you mean, you don't actually know how to make dragonballs? WAIT! You to go WHERE?**

**Read and review. **


	5. Freaks, Geeks, and Egotistical Punks

Disclaimer: I don't own DBZ. I'd be happier if I did.

A/N: Guess I should clear up some stuffs.

ShadowGirlFawkes: Sachiko never went Super. Thanks for your review!

Tellemicus Sundance: Thanks for that awesome review, but I don't think this chapter is up to scratch…anyway, the Piccolo I have in this story is my own character. He's a descendant of Dende that was named after Piccolo.

Other than that…thanks to all reviewers!

_**Chapter Five: Freaks, Geeks, and Egotistical Punks**_

Sachiko tilted her head at the glowering boy in front of her, completely oblivious to his anger. "Um," she began, "what exactly does fuh…uck mean? Is it something like a duck? Is it something I'd like?"

The reactions of the two boys were simultaneous; the boy's jaw hit the floor while Kargo began to sputter indignantly from underneath his hood.

"Sachi!" he screamed. "That is _not_ something you should be bothering yourself with right now! And it is definitely _not_ something you should like until you have a boyfriend when you are much, _much_ older!"

"But then why did that boy say that word?" Sachiko asked, getting more and more confused by the minute. "Why did he say fuh-uck?"

"You, of all people, should stop _saying_ that," Kargo growled. "It's a bad word."

Sachiko yelped in shock and quickly turned to the now speechless boy. "You shouldn't say bad words!" Sachiko scolded, wagging her finger in his face. "It's not nice!" For a minute, the boy stared at her finger before he growled and pushed her hand away.

"Who are you, my mother?" he snapped. "Why are you two in here? This is my private training room."

"A training room!" Sachiko exclaimed as she looked around. "So that's what all the stuff is for…"

"Why's there a training room in a corporate building?" Kargo asked suspiciously, eyeing the boy from head to toe. "And why are you here? You barely look over fifteen. Surely you're not a business executive."

The boy was about to answer when the three suddenly heard a loud commotion that appeared to be coming from outside the room. It seemed to be a very _large_ group of men, and Sachiko and Kargo froze when they recognized the voices of the guards that they had fought at the entrance of the building.

"I think those punks went this way."

"When I get my hands on that girl—"

While Sachiko and Kargo didn't dare move, the boy let out a very audible sigh of relief and walked towards the door. "Finally!" he said. "Now I can get rid of you freaks!" His finger was about to press the button that opened the mechanical door when a green hand grabbed his wrist. The boy's eyes widened and he looked up into Kargo's angry face.

"I can't let you leave," Kargo said as he yanked the boy away from the door. "We came too far to be thrown out now!"

"Get your hands off me."

"Only if you promise not to tell anyone we're here."

The boy tore out of Kargo's grip and immediately punched him twice in the gut, hard. Kargo backed away, clutching his stomach, his voice choked with pain. The boy walked towards him and yanked him up by the throat, which didn't look very impressive because they were almost the same height.

"I told you not to touch me," the boy snarled. He pulled Kargo's hood off and his eyes widened as he took in Kargo's full appearance. "What the fuck are you…"

WHAM! The boy felt something hard slam painfully into his back, and both he and Kargo crashed to the floor from the impact. The boy immediately got to his feet, and his mouth once again hit the floor when he saw Sachiko in her cat-stance fighting position.

"You want someone to fight?" she asked, her golden eyes flaring with anger. "Then fight me!" The boy stared at her, then closed his mouth and smirked.

"Fine," he said. He glanced at Kargo, who was slowly getting to his feet. "I hope you'll give me a better fight than your freaky boyfriend."

If Sachiko had been paying attention, she would have noticed that Kargo's embarrassed look. But she only glared at the boy and said, "Kargo's not a freak! He's my best friend and I won't let you talk about him like that!" Before the boy could blink, she rushed towards him and elbowed him in the stomach. He bent over, gasping, and Sachiko took the opportunity to give him an uppercut right on his jaw followed by a spin kick that sent him stumbling backwards. She backed off as he regained his balance, not really wanting to hurt him any more. Now on his feet, the boy rubbed his jaw and stared at her in shock.

"You hit me," he said slowly, as if the information had just registered in his mind. His face slowly grew red and his ice-blue eyes narrowed dangerously. "That…HURT!" Sachiko blinked and hurried back into her cat-stance, but the boy suddenly dropped to his knees so that his head was level with her chest. Sachiko panicked and tried to attack his head, but he blocked her hit and countered by punching her hard in the abdomen, causing her to cry out. Then he grabbed her leg and pulled her to the ground, where he then raised his hand to finish her off by striking her at the throat. Sachiko yelped and shut her eyes, waiting for the final blow.

It never came.

The door to the room suddenly opened, and Sachiko opened her eyes to see guards storming into the room, with a young woman at the front. She had light-blue hair that was tied in a messy bun, and ice-blue eyes just like the boy, which were wide with shock as she stared at the scene in front of her. Sachiko turned her head slightly to see Kargo standing at the mechanism that operated the door. One of his hands was pressed against the button, while the other clutched his stomach. His hood was back up, so she couldn't see his face. Finally, the woman got over her shock and spoke.

"What on earth is going on here?"

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

Kargo had explained quickly to the woman what had happened and their main cause for being there, although he mentioned the villages only and left out the part about the dragonballs. When the woman realized that Sachiko was the miko child that the news crew had interviewed the day before, she quickly sent away the guards and had told the boy to take them to her office. The boy protested, saying that they had attacked him, but the woman gave him a fierce look that ended the conversation.

Now in the woman's office, Sachiko sat on the red sofa, praying nervously, her tail swishing from side to side in anxiety. Kargo sat beside her, his hood still up and his body in a much better state. He would have felt better if her tail didn't keep hitting him, though. Although it didn't hurt him in the least, it was extremely annoying to have the furry thing brushing against him every five seconds. After a while he grabbed her tail and began to squeeze it gently, making her squeal from surprise.

"Kargo! Leggo of my tail!" She grabbed his hand and tried to make him release her, but he held on.

"Promise me you'll calm down first," he said as he eased his grip on her tail. "They're not going to throw us out now, so you can relax."

"I am relaxed!" Sachiko insisted as she slipped her tail out from his loosened hold. "I'm just…worried…"

"Pray some more,' Kargo suggested.

"Okay…"

"I'm back!" The woman entered the room, brushing a strand of hair away from her face. She took off her white lab coat and hung it on a hook on the door before sitting down behind her large, file-and-document covered desk. She looked up at Sachiko's nervous face and gave her a grin. "I won't bite," she said playfully. "I even ordered us some lunch. See? I'm not a bad person." She turned to Kargo, still grinning. "And my brother already told me about your…uniqueness, so you can put your hood down. I promise I won't experiment on you. Much."

Kargo looked startled, but the woman just laughed at his reaction. "I'm kidding! Kidding!"

"Ma'am—" Sachiko began, but the woman cut her off.

"No ma'am stuff," she said. "My name is Hideaki Kutai. Call me Hideaki-chan. Makes me sound younger."

"Um…okay, Hideaki-chan…" said Sachiko slowly. "But that boy…he was your brother?"

"Hm? Jiro-kun? I hate to say it, but the DNA test confirms it. We're flesh and blood till the day we die."

Sachiko cocked her head. "Um…what's a DNA?"

"Huh." Hideaki scratched her chin. "Well…let's put it this way. DNA makes up who we are as a person. Our whole being depends on DNA. It is unchangeable, and it determines who we are physically, and who our blood relatives are. And my DNA says that I'm stuck being Jiro's big sister." Hideaki sighed forlornly. "So sad, isn't it?"

Despite himself, Kargo chuckled quietly and pushed down his hood. Hideaki blinked twice, trying to take him in. Then she smiled. "What a liar Jiro is! You're adorable! There's not one thing freakish about you. Either of you," she added, catching a glimpse of Sachiko's still-swishing tail.

"Oh yes there is." The boy, Jiro, stomped in through the doorway, now dressed in a black sweatshirt and baggy blue jeans. Walking right past Sachiko and Kargo (whose fists were tightly clenched) he marched right up to his older sister and glared at her with eyes that could have sent chills up one's spine. "I can't believe this," he spat. "Why haven't you thrown them out yet? They trespassed on restricted grounds, stormed into my private training room, and _injured me_!" He pointed to a large bruise that was already a nasty shade of brown on the side of his jaw.

"I'm really sorry," Sachiko apologized, standing up and bowing apologetically before Kargo grabbed her by the tail and yanked her back down. "I didn't mean to hurt you like that," she said. "You can hit me if you'd like"

Jiro's features went blank for a minutes before he scowled again and turned away. Hideaki glanced at his bruise with one brow raised, and sighed.

"Look Jiro," she said in a strangely weary voice, "Under normal circumstances, they wouldn't even be here right now. But their villages were _destroyed_. Decimated. Home-go-bye-bye." She waved at him mockingly, to emphasize the last statement. "They think that we can help them fix this horrible situation, and if we can help, we should!"

"It's not our fucking problem," Jiro snarled, and threw an angry look at Sachiko and Kargo. Sachiko found that she suddenly couldn't breathe under his piercing glare.

Suddenly Hideaki stood up ad banged her fists on the desk, startling Sachiko, Kargo, and Jiro, who quickly his attention turned back to his sister with a look of surprise.

"I," Hideaki said quietly, "am _so sick _of your damn attitude. Just because you're going to be the president of this company—" Sachiko noticed a traced of bitterness in her voice "—doesn't mean that the whole world has to kiss your fourteen-year-old ass and call it ice-cream! Now I currently outrank you in this company, and I say that _we should help_!"

Silence fell heavily upon the room. Kargo looked at Hideaki, clearly amazed, as Sachiko stared at her lap, strangely reminded of all the fights that Taka and Goushi used to have. Jiro, on his part, stared at his sister for what seemed like ages before he finally said, "Screw you." A curse of defeat.

Hideaki glared at her brother as he turned away from her to lean against the wall, but she said nothing more. She turned to Sachiko with a somewhat forced smile on her face. "So what do you need from us? Building supplies? A construction crew? Therapists? Just name it—I'm sure we got it."

Kargo was about to answer but stopped when he remembered something he had seen in Ame village. His face grew serious. "We don't need any of those things," Kargo replied, more gruffly than he intended. "But before I tell you what we came for, I have a question."

"Whatzzit?"

"You don't…make weapons, do you?" Kargo asked, his eyes carefully searching Hideaki's face.

"No…we haven't made any weapons for years," said Hideaki, her face full of confusion. "Why'd you ask? Hey! Don't tell me you want weapons!"

"What? No!" Kargo dropped his poker face and held up his hands apologetically. "I didn't mean that! Forget about it, okay?"

"Hm." Hideaki stared at Kargo suspiciously before letting the matter drop. "Well…okay. What did you guys come for then?"

"We came to find a Dragon radar," Sachiko piped up.

Hideaki's face went blank. "A what?"

"A Dragon radar," Sachiko repeated. "We think that your company once made a machine-thingy that helped track down dragonballs—OW! Why'd you step on my foot, Kargo?" Sachiko yelled as Kargo removed his foot. He gave her an angry glare, then shook his head and sighed.

"Dragonballs? What are those?" Hideaki asked curiously.

"Another name for a dragon's crotch," Jiro answered unceremoniously. Hideaki stared open-mouthed at her brother, who simply shrugged. "What? It's true," he said.

"What's a cro—" Sachiko began, but couldn't finish due to Kargo's hand covering her mouth.

"I'll explain everything later," he promised. "Please…no more asking for definitions."

"Please tell me that your dragonballs are completely different from my brother's version," Hideaki pleaded. Kargo laughed nervously and removed his hand from Sachiko's mouth.

"Of course they are," he said. "But if I tell you what they are, you have to promise never, ever to tell anyone outside this room." Kargo turned his gaze to Jiro, who was pretending not to notice him. "That includes you too. Got that?"

Jiro glanced at Kargo out of the corner of his eye, but didn't say anything. Kargo frowned and turned back to Hideaki. "Either he agrees to this or he leaves. I'm not going to tell what dragonballs are until he does either one."

"Jiro-kun just agree already!" Hideaki shrieked. "I want to know!"

"Fine bitch!" Jiro yelled back. "I won't tell a soul!"

"Good," Kargo muttered. He quickly told Hideaki about the legend of the dragonballs, about his ancestor's history, and his desire to recreate the balls. He carefully left out details about the Saiya-jins, and Sachiko's possible link to them. No need to tell them more than they needed to know. Throughout the tale, Hideaki's face changed. It became more and more clouded. "But the problem is that I can't find the balls without one a radar," he finished. "And this company is the only one that made them back then. So I just wanted to know if you could make one more, or if there is an old prototype in the back room."

"What a load of bull," Jiro said.

Hideaki's hand was rubbing her temple; her eyes were closed, and her eyebrows were furrowed. "You want to revive a legend," she said quietly. Kargo gulped; he heard a slight strain in her voice.

"Yes," he answered.

"Do you even know how to make the dragonballs?" Her eyes were still closed, and the strain on her voice was growing.

"Of course he does!" Sachiko said, not noticing Kargo's suddenly panicked look. "He told me that he had a way! Right Kargo?" Sachiko turned to Kargo with a smile. "You got a way, right?"

"Uh…kind of," Kargo muttered. Sachiko turned back to Hideaki, her smile as wide as ever.

"See? He's got everything covered."

"Doesn't look that way to me," Jiro commented. "Look at him kid; he's shitting in his pants. I bet he doesn't even know what he's doing. It would be a fun thing, though, if it was real…"

Kargo stood up so quickly that Sachiko nearly got a whiplash from looking up from her seat. His face was darkened with anger and his teeth were gritted. "I know what I'm doing!" he yelled. "But I wouldn't even have to be doing his is your company didn't attack the villages!" Ignoring everyone's shocked faces, he rounded on Hideaki and glared at her, all admiration he once had for her gone. "On one of the guns that the intruders had, I saw your company logo. I thought, when I came here, that maybe there was a mistake, but I see that I was just being blind!" He turned away from her astonished stare and grabbed Sachiko, who was stunned beyond belief. "Come one Sachi! We're leaving! I was so stupid to think that we could trust them!"

As he dragged her to the door, Sachiko couldn't comprehend what had just happened. Capsule Corps. attacked her village? Did that mean…but Hideaki didn't seem the type to kill…her mind was spinning with all those disorganized thoughts.

As Kargo opened the door, he found himself face to face with a young, dark-haired man dressed in a black suit. One of his hands held a thick yellow folder while the other hand was poised in midair, as if he had been on the verge of knocking. His eyes widened as he saw Kargo, whose hood was down and was revealed for the whole world to see.

"Uh…hi?" Sachiko greeted as the man seemed to be frozen mid-knock. The man slowly turned his gaze toward Sachiko, who quickly wrapped her tail around her waist. Despite this the man's eyes seemed to bulge out of his head, as if he had not expected to see her. When Hideaki cleared her throat the man jumped and returned to relative normalcy.

"Uh…f-files f-from the p-p-president, Ms. K-k-kutai," the man stammered. Hideaki got up and walked over to the man, pushing Kargo and Sachiko back inside the room as she did so.

"Thank you," she said as she took the files. "By the way, can you ask our researchers to go through our old files? I want to check on something called a 'Dragon radar'."

"Yes Ms. Kutai." The man cast one more look at both Kargo and Sachiko and left.

Sachiko and Kargo turned to Hideaki and gaped at her. "You're going to get the radar for us?" Kargo asked.

"If we find the file on it," Hideaki answered, tossing the file carelessly on her desk. "But we have records on every item this company has ever made, so it shouldn't take more than a week to find it."

"A WEEK?" Sachiko's jaw dropped.

"And then we have to rebuild it. With technology that old, it could be almost a month before we finish."

"A MONTH?" Now Kargo's jaw dropped too.

"Why are you doing this sis?" Jiro asked. "They're running after some stupid myth. They may not even be able to make dragonballs!"

Hideaki frowned. "Like it or not Jiro, we already owe them a favor. If someone in this company is secretly aiming weapons, then we have to find out and inform out parents at once. This company is known for its peaceful tendencies. What would happen if people find out we're secretly making weapons?"

Jiro opened his mouth to argue, but thought better of it when he saw his sister's face. Hideaki turned back to Kargo with serious look.

"We'll give you want you want," Hideaki said, "but in return, you do something for us when you guys are done with your…quest."

"What do you want?" Sachiko asked.

"I'll tell you when I have more information. But for now, go home. Come back here in a month or two."

"Wait! That's it? You're just going to let them go?' Jiro asked his sister. She nodded. "Oh come on sis! These are twerps! Even if their dragon-crap thing is real, you actually trust them to make these thing, go all over the world in search for them, and then make a proper wish?"

"According to the wise green one, it's been done before," Hideaki answered. "And to be frank, they seem to be much more responsible than you. So I think I can trust them."

Jiro stared at his sister is total disbelief. Then he stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind him as he left.

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

"Stop looking over your shoulder."

The sun was now setting as they approached the base of Korin's tower. Sachiko looked back at the city, now obscured by the forest.

"Don't you get the feeling that we're being followed?" Sachiko asked. She looked hard at a bush at the forest's edge. "I keep getting these chills…"

"You're just cold," Kargo said briskly. "I just hope that my dad's not home. If he is, I'll never be able to talk to Mr. Popo."

"Mr. Popo?" Sachiko gave Kargo an inquisitive look as they began to fly vertically. Sachiko flew ten feet before grabbing the pole for support. "What do we need him for?"

"He's the most important part of my plan to recreate the dragonballs," Kargo answered as he gathered Sachiko in his arms. Carrying her now, he continued to fly.

"Does he know how to make the balls? Are you going to ask him?"

"No…"

"I swear I sense something!" Sachiko yelled as they landed on the lookout. She slipped out of Kargo's hold and ran to the edge, leaning over to look down. She caught a glimpse of a boy flying jerkily up the tower, with a strange machine on his back. "It's Jiro!" she exclaimed.

"The punk?" Kargo looked over the edge and gawked when Jiro's hand grasped the edge. "What the hell is he doing here?"

"Great to see you too, freak," Jiro greeted as he hauled himself up. He tossed the machine off his back and stretched. "Gods damn it! Can't you people live on the ground like the rest of civilization?"

"What is that?" Sachiko asked, poking the pack-like machine.

"That? That's my jet pack. Lets me fly like you just did. But…how did you two fly up without one?" He patted Sachiko's backpack, checking it.

Sachiko cocked her head to the side. "We didn't use any machines. We flew up by ourselves."

"By yourselves," Jiro repeated in disbelief.

"Yep! By ourselves!" Sachiko gave him a small smile, which he very slowly returned.

"Enough!" Kargo yelled, his features suddenly twisted with anger. He pulled Sachiko behind him, out of Jiro's view. "Why the hell are you here?" he asked Jiro.

The fourteen-year-old smirked and crossed his arms. "Well, seeing that my sister has faith in your cockamamie story, I figure that there might be a chance that it could be real. If it is…I want to be a part of it."

"Why?" Kargo asked suspiciously.

"Well for starters, I want to make a wish."

"I knew it!" Kargo yelled. "Sorry, but the wishes are to be used strictly for emergencies. No personal vendettas allowed."

"But you said there was more than one wish," Jiro countered.

"So? We need them all for the villages."

"Fine. Then I just want to tag along. After you make these dumb things, you get to travel around the country, right? Well, I want to come with you."

"Why?" Sachiko asked. Jiro frowned.

"I don't know. Because I want to get away from my sister. Because I want to toughen up before I have to grow up. I don't know!" He threw his hands up into the air. "I just want to get out of here! Besides, you guys won't last a minute by yourselves. If you can't beat _me_, how are you going to survive against everyone else?" Jiro crossed his arms and smirked when he saw Sachiko rub her chin in consideration. Kargo did not like this.

"I can protect her," he snarled. "So you can leave. C'mon Sachi-chan, we have to find Mr. Po—"

"Dende!" A fat, round man with shriveled black skin ran out of the lookout with amazingly fast speed. He stopped in front of Kargo, huffing and puffing, with tears in his eyes. "Oh thank the heavens! You're alive! I thought you had gone back to otherworld and left me alone with hundreds of dirty dishes!"

Sachiko felt Jiro tug her arm. "Wasn't his name Kargo?" he asked.

"It is," Sachiko answered. "But Mr. Popo gets a little confused sometimes…"

"It's, uh, okay Mr. Popo," said Kargo. "Do you know where my da…I mean, Piccolo went? Not the stoic one, I mean Kargo's father."

"Ah! He went to look for his son several hours ago."

Kargo's face went rigid with fear. "Where did he go?"

"I think he went to the villages…those poor people were recently attacked, and the poor miko child is now an orphan…have you met her?"

"I'm right here, Mr. Popo," said Sachiko, her voice somewhat bleak. Mr. Popo looked over Kargo's shoulder and smiled.

"Ah! Here she is now! Say hello, Dende!"

Kargo frowned. "Later Mr. Popo. I need a favor."

"What is it?"

"I need you to take me to Otherworld."

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

**Sachiko: Where's Otherworld? Is it a place where you can learn to make dragonballs, Kargo? Wait! These people are all dead! But they can fight? Cool! I think I'm gonna like Otherworld! Hey! There's a man here who kind of looks like you, Kargo!**

**Read and Review. **


	6. Otherworld

Disclaimer: I don't own anything except this plot and my original characters.

A/N: Let me get one thing straight. THE PICCOLO I HAVE IN THIS STORY IS _NOT_ THE PICCOLO FROM THE ORIGINAL SHOW! My Piccolo (Kargo's dad) is a descendant of Dende who has the same name. They're totally different Nameks! Kind of! There. I hope that's all cleared up.

**_Chapter Six: Otherworld_**

Sachiko was about to open her mouth to ask what Otherworld was, but one glare from Kargo told her to shut up and play along. So she did. Meanwhile, Jiro was looking at her for an explanation, but Sachiko put a finger to her lips and shook her head.

"Otherworld?" Mr. Popo repeated, his face full of confusion. "Why do you want to go there for?"

Kargo tried to maintain a serious look. "I have important business up there," he said in a would-be calm voice. "I have…uh…special errands that is…uh…under the utmost secrecy. Sorry Mr. Popo, but I can't tell anyone. Not even you."

"I see," said Mr. Popo. "But can't you get there by yourself?"

"I'm tired!" Kargo yelled, a trace of panic in his voice. "I'm almost out of ki! I don't have enough power to transport myself from here to Otherworld! I'll die if I try!"

"Oh my goodness! I am so sorry Dende! I should have been more considerate." The black genie placed one hand on Kargo's head and two fingers on his forehead. His face scrunched up, as if he was concentrating on finding something. Sachiko suddenly had an impulse to grab Kargo, though she didn't know why.

"What are you doing?" Jiro asked, looking thoroughly confused at the whole scene. "I don't know where the hell this Otherworld is, but we're not going to get there by you pressing two fingers to your forehead."

"Don't worry child," said Mr. Popo, his features still stiff and focused. "This is a trick I learned centuries ago, from a good man who had been the best martial artist I had ever encountered. Ah!" Mr. Popo's facial features relaxed, and his lips curved into a wide smile. "There it is! Okay, ready Dende? Here we go!"

It happened in an instant. Jiro watched with shock as Kargo and Mr. Popo began to disappear right in front of them, but impulse and instinct took over for Sachiko. Just as they began to fade, she suddenly grabbed Jiro's arm with one hand and latched herself onto Kargo's shoulder with the other. Then she felt her body jerk upward, as if she was a puppet on strings and there was someone pulling her up against her will. Her stomach churned slightly as the lookout disappeared before her eyes, and she clutched onto both boys tightly. She wished it would end.

In a few seconds, it did. Sachiko blinked and let go of Jiro and Kargo as she looked around. The surrounding area seemed to be made entirely of clouds, with only one clear path that lead from god-knows-where into a very large building. Sachiko noticed that there were more clouds on this path, all little and white. They were moving from the far end of the path into the building, though Sachiko didn't know why. She wanted to touch one, just to see if it was real. She bent down and gently squeezed one of the soft clouds, and was surprised when the cloud squealed and zipped into the building, laughing. _It was laughing… _

"Where the hell are we?" Jiro backed up until his back was pressed against the stone wall of the building. His eyes were full of uncertainty and shock. "What is this place?"

"We're in Otherworld, you idiot," Kargo snapped. Then he looked at Mr. Popo with uncertainty. "We _are_ in Otherworld, right?"

Mr. Popo nodded. "But why are they here?" he asked, pointing to Sachiko and Jiro. "I thought this was an errand of utmost secrecy. I should take them back."

"Okay," agreed Kargo, his lips curving into a smirk. "You take back the boy, and I'll take back the girl in a few minutes." Kargo took Sachiko's arm and began to pull her away. Sachiko tilted her head in confusion, but didn't say anything.

"Oh no you don't!" Jiro yelled, and grabbed Sachiko's other arm. Okay. Now she was getting nervous. "We came here together and we're going to finish this together. Don't you cut me out of your cockamamie scheme now!"

Kargo snarled and pulled at Sachiko's arm, not noticing her wince at the action. "Leggo of Sachi-chan and go home, rich boy!"

"No way!" Jiro pulled hard on Sachiko's other arm just as hard, and she winced again. "I'm coming with you whether you like it or not!"

"Leggo!" Tug.

"No!" Tug.

"LEGGO!" _Painful_ tug.

"I SAID NO FUCKING WAY!" Painful tug _and _a damaged eardrum.

"THAT'S ENOUGH!" Sachiko shrieked, and pulled the two boys together with such force that they ended up colliding into each other and fell backwards to the ground. "You two are acting so weird! Stop fighting or nothing will get done!" She glared at the two boys who were now getting back on their feet.

"Dende," said Mr. Popo nervously as he watched Kargo rise to his feet, "perhaps we should just go back. I don't think it is wise to bring two living children into Lord Emma's quarters."

"Why don't you go on inside and tell this…Lord Emma…that I'll be coming? I'll just take the two kids back to the lookout and we'll be on our way." Kargo forced a smile as he slapped Jiro on the back a bit harder than necessary. Jiro grunted every time Kargo slapped him, but only scowled. He'd have payback, soon enough.

"Well… if you're sure." Mr. Popo went inside the building. The minute he was out of sight, Kargo grabbed Sachiko and pulled her to the other side of the building, far away from the entrance. Jiro immediately followed them, not because he wanted to, but because he was unfamiliar this place or anyone that resided here. They walked until they came to what appeared to be an open field with several planes.

"What the hell's an airport doing in a place like this?" Jiro asked. "And what kind of place is this anyway?"

"Stop following us," Kargo snapped.

"I told you I'm coming with you every step of the way. Now where the hell are we?"

Kargo growled, but took out Dende's journal from inside his hoodie. "According to my ancestor, this place is like a holding station for dead souls."

Sachiko looked up. Souls? This place held the spirits of the dead? Then…were Grandfather and Okaasan here?

Kargo continued. "Here, some ogre guy called Lord Emma decides whether you go to Heaven or Hell." Kargo paused as he read a page. "For some weird reason Hell is called HFIL, but I have no idea why."

Sachiko suddenly gasped. "What do souls look like?"

"I think they were those cloud thingies we saw at the entrance," said Kargo. "Why'd you ask?"

"N-no reason," Sachiko stammered as she remembered the soft feeling she felt when she touched one. Whose soul did she touch? Did she defile it in anyway? Was it possibly her Grandfather's soul?

"So what's with the planes?" Jiro asked, snapping Sachiko out of her thoughts. "Do they take you to Heaven or Hell or wherever you're supposed to go?"

Kargo nodded. "We've got to get on those planes. It's my only chance of learning how to make the dragonballs."

Sachiko gave Kargo a confused look. "I thought you already knew how to make them."

"Well…"

"I knew it!" Jiro cried. "You fucking liar! You don't even know how to make these goddamn balls!"

"You lied to me?" Sachiko gasped, backing away from the Namek. "But…you said…"

"I said I had a way," Kargo hastily explained. "I _will_ learn, Sachi-chan! Just trust me!"

"How are you going to learn?" Sachiko cried. "You said yourself that the last person who ever made the dragonballs on Earth was Dende! And he's dead!"

"Exactly," said Kargo, grinning. Jiro suddenly began to grin as well, and he chuckled.

"Oh…very clever freak," he said. "Going to the original creator…very ingenious."

"I don't understand," Sachiko whimpered. Kargo simply smiled and took her hand in his.

"Sachi-chan," said Kargo softly, "I'm going to try to find my ancestor. We're going to find Dende."

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

Lord Emma yawned as he looked over his files. The sudden deaths on Earth had kept him and his staff working overtime for the last day and a half. He hadn't gotten any sleep and was bushed. After stamping a seal for the hundredth and fifty-seventh dead soul to go to Heaven, he looked up and found a shriveled black genie wandering around his office.

That was beyond strange.

"Mr. Popo?" Lord Emma looked down and smiled. "Why, I haven't heard from you for the last three hundred years! How've you been?"

"Very well, thank you," Mr. Popo said as he continued to walk around the room.

"Are…you waiting for someone?" Lord Emma asked. Mr. Popo looked up in surprise.

"Am I?" Mr. Popo asked. "Oh dear, am I late?"

"Mr. Popo…are you alright?"

"Yes, yes…I have to be going now. I have to clean Goku's dishes." With that, Mr. Popo teleported out of the room, leaving a very confused Lord Emma behind.

"He must be getting old," a blue ogre said from the corner of the room.

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

"_Flight number 97 about to take off. All those with a stamped seal for HFIL, you have ten minutes…"_

Several soul clouds zipped and zoomed to their various planes, with several different colored ogres guiding them. As they emerged from the large building, the soul clouds floated over a long stone path past a large white water fountain that was shooting out fine sprays of crystal clear water. Sachiko, Kargo, and Jiro lay crouched in the shadow of the water fountain, ducking their heads when a group of soul clouds went past and peeping out again when the coast was clear. The original plan was to sneak onto one of the planes when there were no ogres or soul clouds around, but after half an hour of waiting, the idea lost its edge. Finally, Jiro spoke.

"So how are we going to get on those planes, oh wise green one?"

Kargo's eye twitched at the sound of Jiro's voice. _Annoying teenager_, he thought bitterly. "I'm working on it," he said as calmly as he could. "Just give me a second, will you? I don't want us to get caught. You agree, right Sachi-chan?" He waited for her response. He got none. "Sachi?" Still no response. He turned around and saw empty space where Sachiko was a few moments ago. "Sachi!" He looked over the fountain and saw Sachiko walking cheerily towards a yellow ogre. Correction. A _large_ yellow ogre with two _big, pointy_ horns. Kargo blanched. Sachiko was very small for her age; she barely came up to the thing's thighs! Good thing there were no other ogres around…

"Excuse me mister," said Sachiko as she gave him a big smile. "Could you direct me to the next plane to Heaven? It's _really_ important."

The ogre looked around for a moment; he obviously did not know where the little voice had come from. Sachiko frowned and tugged the ogre's pants. "Hey mister! I'm down here!"

The ogre looked down and his eyes widened at the sight of Sachiko. She grinned at him and asked again, "Mister, could you tell me which of these planes leaves for heaven?"

"You still have your body!" The ogre cried in a deep, rumbling voice. "But you're so young! You must have been a hero prodigy or something."

"A…hero?" Sachiko repeated. Then she smiled. "Mister, I'm no hero." In the corner, Kargo and Jiro began to creep out from behind the water fountain, out of the ogre's sight.

"Yeah, a hero! You should be on that plane there." the ogre rumbled, and pointed to a rather worn down looking plane in the far corner. He then bent down to peer at Sachiko closely. "But…where's your halo?"

"My halo? I'm supposed to have one?"

"Yes. All dead people have halos. Unless—you're alive!" The ogre backed away, his eyes wide with realization. "Oh my gods! Hey guys! We have a live kid he—AGGH!" Suddenly, Kargo came out of nowhere, slamming into the ogre's head with a high jump kick that sent the ogre crashing onto the ground, unconscious. Sachiko yelped and dived out of the way as the ogre's large body fell in her direction. After the making sure he wasn't awake, Kargo and Jiro began to drag his body off to the side.

"What are you doing?" Sachiko asked nervously. "Why did you have to hurt him?"

Kargo looked up and glared at her. "_We_ had to hurt him because _you_ almost got us caught. Gods damn it Sachi, can't you use your common sense? We're not here legitimately. If they catch us, they'll throw us out!"

"I'm sorry," said Sachiko quietly, tears forming at the corners of her eyes. Kargo noticed this and turned away, growling.

"Hey freak," said Jiro, "leave it alone. The guy's knocked out. Besides, the kid here did find out which plane we need to go on." He gave Sachiko a smirk, which she did not return, as she was too busy trying not to cry. "We shouldn't worry about this right now. What we should worry about is how to get on the plane and stay there without getting noticed."

Sachiko sniffed back a tear. "I kind of have an idea," she whispered. Jiro smirked again, while Kargo looked very surprised.

"What kind of idea would you have?" Kargo asked.

"Well…" Sachiko glanced over at the ogre and smiled. "I hope you guys don't mind me being on top."

"That statement just sounded so wrong right now," Jiro muttered.

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

"I don't believe this! This will never work!"

Sachiko winced at Kargo's shout but ignored it. Instead she focused her attention on what appeared to be a large pair of brown pants that was walking towards her. "Are you okay in there?"

"It's too big," said the pair of pants. Jiro poked his head out from underneath the fabric. I'm going to have to cut eyeholes in here or something."

Sachiko turned to Kargo. "You just have to get on his shoulders and help him hold the pants up. Then I'll get on your shoulders, and I'll cover us with the shirt. No one will ever know! They'll think we're another ogre!"

"Sachi," said Kargo as patiently as he could, "don't you think they'll be a _little_ suspicious at the fact that our arms, legs, and _head_ are _way_ too small for our body size and height? We don't even have horns!"

Sachiko reached into her pack and pulled out what appeared to be two plain, white, cone-shaped party hats. She wore one on the left side of her head and the other on the right, making it look like she had horns. Kind of. Jiro and Kargo's eyes twitched simultaneously.

"You know," said Jiro slowly, "I'm gonna have to go with the freak on this one. This plan is a bunch of bullshit."

"But…we didn't even try it." Sachiko's eyes began to tear up again.

"It's too risky," Kargo explained.

"We don't have any other ideas," Sachiko whimpered. Jiro sensed the quiver in her voice and turned to Kargo.

"Look freak," said Jiro, "I don't want her to cry. The last thing I need is a crying kid to take care of. Let's just go with it, alright? We don't really have any other ideas. Besides…the ogres here look stupid anyway."

Kargo was about to protest, but stopped when he heard Sachiko whimper. "Oh all right! But if we get caught, I'm blaming you two."

With that, he hopped onto Jiro's shoulders and pulled the pants until they reached his chest. Then Sachiko hovered onto Kargo's shoulders and slipped into the white shirt, carefully buttoning it around Kargo's face. She looked down. She could see two mall holes in the pants, where Jiro's blue eyes looked back up at her.

"You alright up there kid?" Jiro asked. Sachiko nodded and pointed to the rusty-looking plane.

"That's where we have to go. Can you get us there?"

"Sure kid. Just hold on." Jiro took one tentative step, trying to keep Kargo and Sachiko from swaying as he did. Sachiko tried to balance herself with her arms, but that didn't work. Sachiko yelped and hovered before she fell off Kargo (who was clutching at her legs very tightly). This seemed to have worked.

"Sachi," Kargo said from under the shirt, "try to hover like that until we get to the plane. It makes the whole thing a lot easier."

"Okay." Sachiko smiled as she hovered no more than a centimeter off of Kargo's shoulders. Hovering she could do easily. Flying high was something she had to work on.

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

"Youze new?"

A short, chubby, dark blue ogre with beady eyes had met with them at the entrance to the plane, and had given them a very suspicious up and down stare. Sachiko gulped nervously. "Uh, yeah, we're new," she said in the lowest voice she could muster. A pinch on her leg made her yelp. "EEEP! I mean _I'm_ new. In fact, I just came in today."

"Whatever. Can't see so well without ma glasses." He squinted for a minute before sighing. "Ah, youze missed it then. A whole bunch'cha people came up here recently. They'ze died from some attack by a bunch'cha punks." The short blue ogre sighed. "The people today. What youze gonna do?" Sachiko clenched her fists tightly. _There were several things I could have done_, she thought. Instead she smiled.

"This plane," said Sachiko in her deep voice. "Does it go to Heaven?"

"Duh," said the midget ogre as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Youze really must be new. We're goin' to the Grand Kai's place! That's where the best heroes and fighters go when they die. They get to keep their bodies for all their hard work. It's a inspirational place."

"Uh…cool," said Sachiko deeply. "Uh…I'm gonna go sit now." Another pinch on the leg. "Ow! I mean…I'll stand in the corner."

"Whatever. Oh! Here comes a hero now." The midget ogre flipped through a clipboard he had in his hand. "Ah, he's going to West Kai. Not a bad place. Second to the North Kai's men, if you ask me."

Sachiko nodded and walked to the front of the plane, leaning against the doors that lead into the cockpit. Later, she saw a tall muscular boy (who looked a little older than Jiro) in elegant black robes walk in. He had long white hair that was tied back, with black shades covering his eyes. A golden ring floated above his head, and it went well with his deeply tanned skin. For some reason, Sachiko's stomach did a somersault when she saw him.

"He looks like one of the characters from an antique, out-of-fashion video game," Jiro whispered from underneath the brown pants. "Sheeh. White hair? Gotta be fake. Who the fuck's he trying to impress?"

"Jiro, shush!" Sachiko muttered, as the dead boy approached her. She looked away as he came by and sat down on a window seat near her. He glanced in her direction once, and she unexpectedly found herself smiling at him. He returned her smile and looked out the window.

"I'm really nervous," he said in a soft, smooth voice. "I didn't think that all the stuff I did back home was heroic. I just did what I thought was right, you know?"

Sachiko smiled. "I'm sure you'll be fine. Besides, I think that doing what you think is right is a heroic act in itself."

The boy chuckled and said nothing more as the plane began to take off. Sachiko sighed quietly until she felt two hard pinches on her legs from both Kargo and Jiro.

Geez, what was their problem?

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

Four and a half hours later, Sachiko, Kargo, and Jiro stumbled out of the plane, still wearing their disguise. Their new plan was that they should follow the boy until he lead them to wherever Heaven's headquarters were. When they approached a clearing that had several men fighting there, Sachiko, Kargo, and Jiro dove into a nearby bush and shed their disguise.

"Finally!" Jiro yelled as he tore off the pants. "I thought I was gonna suffocate down there."

"Why did you two pinch me so much?" Sachiko asked angrily as she unbuttoned the shirt. "Really, I didn't deserve all of them!"

"We don't have time to flirt with dead people, Sachi," Kargo growled as he straightened his own rumpled clothing. "We're here on business, remember?"

"I wasn't flirting!" Sachiko protested. "I don't even know what flirting means!"

"You _were_ flirting," Jiro said, his own voice beginning to sound strained. "That pussy pretty boy isn't worth your time."

"What's a pussy?" Sachiko asked.

"Quiet!" Kargo hissed. The three peeped over the bush to where the boy was surrounded by a large group of men…and a very small purple midget in a monocle. He was even smaller than the blue ogre on the plane. He was saying something loudly, but Sachiko couldn't hear him.

"What's the small purple thing saying, Kargo?" Sachiko asked.

"He's happy," Kargo replied, his eyes narrowed as if he was heavily focused. "He's talking about finally beating some North Kai. Said that this year, his fighting team will be victorious."

"They're all fighters?" Jiro exclaimed.

"Apparently," said Kargo. "Let's go hide on top of those trees over there. It's closer to them. And besides…this bush is making me feel cramped."

Kargo and Sachiko kept their ki low (Jiro didn't have a clue as to what ki was) and the three of them crept to the treetops, ducking for cover whenever they thought someone was looking in their direction. When they reached the relative safety of the trees, Sachiko peered through the leaves to see the fighters below. She saw an odd array of fighters. There seemed to be a large purple dinosaur, along with a very small, brown, bare-chested man that had a black helmet. Sachiko recognized the hero boy she talked to on the plane, but another figure caught her eye.

He was green, like Kargo, was very tall and slender, and was dressed in white robes with a blue shirt underneath. His black hat (if you could call it that) covered his head, and he had an unusual face. He had piercing red eyes, a pinkish mouth that stood out against his green skin, and had no nose. His ears were box-shaped. Sachiko found him fascinating, and an idea clicked into her mind.

"Kargo," she whispered, "come here." Kargo hopped from one branch to the other until he was next to Sachiko. She pulled back a few leaves and pointed at the green fighter. "Look at that guy. Don't you think he kind of looks like you?"

Kargo blinked. "Kind of…but I thought all Nameks looked _exactly_ alike…"

"How would you know if Dende looked like that? He lived almost six hundred years ago! Besides, you said that you've never met another Namek other than Piccolo-san. How would you know if other Nameks don't look a little different?"

Kargo remained silent. What Sachiko said kind of made sense, but still…

"So did we find the guy or not?" Jiro asked as he sat on a branch across from them.

"I think we did, Jiro," Sachiko said happily. "I think we found Dende-sama!"

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

**Jiro: THAT'S your ancestor, freak? Damn, it's no wonder why you look the way you do. Wait. His name's not Dende…OH CRAP! There's more than one Heaven? We gotta get the fuck out of here! Back on the plane! I hope one of you knows how to fly! Goddamn it, watch out for that mountain!**


	7. Getting into Trouble is a Common Thing

Disclaimer: If I have to keep repeating this…BLAH! I don't own DBZ.

A/N: Aggghhh…this chapter is one of my "ick-fics". Oh well. Try to enjoy. BTW, I'd like to thank these guys for their kick-ass reviews.

**_ChristopherC_**: I'm glad you reviewed again. Thanks much!

**_HBKShowstopaa_**: That is the longest review I have ever received in my life. I'm glad you like the story, but now I feel like I have a very high standard to meet…The pressure's making me nauseous…I hope I can meet your…eh…expectations.

**_Chapter Seven: Getting into Trouble is a Common Thing_**

Jiro glanced at the green fighter through the leaves and snorted. "_That's_ your ancestor, freak? No wonder you look the way you do." Kargo growled and made a furious move towards him until Sachiko grabbed him by the arm and forced him back onto his branch.

"So what should we do Kargo?" Sachiko asked as she tried to restrain her Namekian friend. "Should we try to go talk to him?"

After making several more murderous attempts to reach Jiro, Kargo calmed down and shook his head. "No…I want to wait a little longer."

So they waited. After a while, the most of the strange-looking fighters left the clearing until only the green fighter, the hero boy, and the purple midget were left. Kargo frowned as he took another glance at the green fighter. There was no way this man could be his ancestor. Sure, there were enough similarities in their looks to arouse suspicion, but not enough to calm all doubts. Also, if Nameks were supposed to be asexual, didn't that mean that they all looked exactly the same? Unless Nameks were secretly capable of having sex…

Kargo's ears suddenly twitched. The small purple man with the monocle was speaking again.

"_Reficul, is it? I'll call you Refi…I want you to go with Mariakoh and start training. The big tournament is coming up in a few days, and I want you to show me your stuff... since I've never seen you fight before." _

Kargo assumed that Refi was the name of the hero boy, because after the purple midget finished speaking, the hero boy bowed and departed. Then the midget turned to the green fighter. Kargo held his breath. If the midget called the green fighter Dende…

"_I'm still depending on you to win this for me. After all that training and analyzing, we're sure to beat Northy and his horde! This is the year I'll finally get my planet back! I'll be going now…but you understand, don't you Pikkon?"_

"Pikkon?" Kargo blinked as he stared at the green fighter. "His name is Pikkon?"

"Who's Pikkon?" Sachiko asked, peering down at the grown men. "Is that the name of the purple thing?"

Kargo shook his head. "It's the green guy. By the way, you remember the boy we saw on the plane? His name is Refi."

"Wait a minute," interrupted Jiro. "I thought your ancestor's name was Dende."

"It is." Kargo frowned. "This isn't our guy. I think Dende is supposed to look like…well…_me_."

"Well, why didn't you fucking say that in the beginning!" Jiro yelled, forgetting that they were supposed to maintain a low-profile. "We must have wasted half an hour in this fucking tree!"

"I _did_ say that in the beginning!" Kargo snapped back, his own voice rising in irritation. "But Sachi's the one who—" he stopped himself when he saw Sachiko's hurt look. He felt his face grow hot and he cleared his throat, looking away from her injured stare. "I mean…I wasn't sure what he looked like. I don't exactly have photographs of Dende to guide me, you know."

"Pffh! Some quest! You don't know how to make the dragonballs, you don't know the appearance of the person you're looking for…you're just a freak who's on some wild goose chase!"

"Why don't you come _here_ and say that, rich boy!" Kargo screamed from his branch, all thoughts of stealth gone from his mind. He felt his ki rising but did nothing to suppress it, even when he heard Sachiko's frightened gasp.

"I think I will!" Jiro yelled back, getting ready to jump from his branch to Kargo's.

"Uh, guys?" said Sachiko as she peered through the leaves to the ground. It was just then that she realized how high up from the ground they were. "Can you stop fighting now? I think they can hear us." Her eyes went back and forth from the bickering boys to the mysterious green fighter that was approaching them from below.

"You are so full of bullshit!" Kargo yelled as Jiro hopped on to Sachiko's branch, adding sufficient weight to it. Jiro scowled and bared his teeth.

"Exactly what I was going to say, you son-of-a-MMPH!" A hand furiously clamped over Jiro mouth, effectively silencing the teenager. Sachiko glared at both boys before putting a finger to her lips. Then, using the same finger, she pointed to the ground below. Kargo and Jiro (after removing Sachiko's hand from his mouth) looked down through the leaves, and both boys nearly fell out of the tree from shock.

The fighter Pikkon was directly below them, with a _very_ suspicious look on his face.

All three of them could just make out his narrowed red eyes as he tried to squint past the leaves to see if anything was out of place. Sachiko and Kargo pushed down their ki until it was barely noticeable, but not one of them dared to take even the tiniest breath as they sought further shelter in the leaves. Sachiko's body began to tremble as she felt the man's powerful ki. It came from directly under her, and she felt the full force of it. Hopefully he wouldn't try to climb the tree. Hopefully he would just go away. Hopefully they wouldn't have to fight him. Sachiko whimpered softly and unknowingly leaned against Jiro, who was still sitting on her branch.

_Crrist._ What was that noise? It seemed to be coming from behind her. Both Sachiko and Jiro turned to the unfamiliar sound, and their eyes widened.

_Crrrist!_ The branch, while strong enough to hold Sachiko, was not strong enough to hold both her and the teenage boy. Sachiko and Jiro sat transfixed as the branch broke, little by little, away from the tree. Somewhere in her mind she knew that she should have moved immediately, but the thought of hovering to another tree limb did not register. From the ground, Pikkon got into a fighting stance, his face tense and serious from the strange noises.

_Crrrr…AAACK!_ The branch held all it could. With a horrid, slow, crackling noise, it broke away from the tree…taking Sachiko and Jiro with it.

"No!" Kargo tried to grab Sachiko, but instead grabbed Jiro by accident. His eyes grew wide with horror as Sachiko fell towards the ground, screaming.

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

The impact was going to hurt. She knew the impact was going to hurt and yet not one muscle in her body seemed to be willing to do anything other than flail and scream and clutch helplessly at the empty air. She was going to crack her skull open and die in the land of the dead. The irony of it would have been funny if _she_ wasn't the one in the situation. As the ground rapidly approached, she shut her eyes tightly and waited for the pain of head-smashing-against-earth.

What she felt instead was a pair of strong arms catching her in mid-air.

What was this? Sachiko opened her eyes cautiously and looked up at her rescuer. She gasped as a pair of startled red eyes met her own. _Oh my_, she thought. _This…isn't good._

"Uh…hi," Sachiko greeted as she gave the confused Pikkon a nervous smile. "Nice catch."

"Thank you." Pikkon had a deep voice, but like the silver-haired boy she met on the plane, it had a flowing quality to it. She liked it. "Where did you come from?" he asked, not entirely trusting his eyes. He looked her over and remarked quietly to himself, "No ring."

Sachiko let out a jittery laugh. "Yeah…well…I'd say that I fell from Heaven, but it doesn't make sense here, because we're _already_ in Heaven…" She heard the leaves rustle from above her head, and she caught a glimpse of Kargo and Jiro trying to quietly climb their way down. Jiro was taking something small and white out of his pocket. However, Pikkon heard the leaves rustling as well, and he looked up towards Kargo and Jiro. _No! Don't look!_

"My name is Sachiko!" she half-screamed as she grabbed his face and pulled it down towards her own. She held him there, away from Kargo and Jiro's direction. "You're Pikkon-san, right? I heard someone say that's your name, so it is…right?"

"Uh…yeah. Could you let go of my face?" Pikkon gently set her on the ground and pried her hands away from his cheeks. "Look kid, just calm down. I'll take you to the Grand Kai. I'm sure he can get you back to where you came from." Sachiko simply nodded as she glanced at the tree again, but Kargo and Jiro were now gone. In anxiety, she swished her tail in all directions, something that caught Pikkon's attention. "Say, you have a tail like Go—"

Pikkon never finished his sentence. At that moment, Sachiko saw a small, white ball roll between Pikkon's legs and explode into a billow of thick smoke that completely obscured him from her view. Sachiko coughed; the smoke stung her eyes and burned the back of her throat every time she inhaled. Suddenly she felt someone grab her arm and pull her backwards from the thick haze. Instinctively she yanked herself out of the person's grasp and aimed a high back kick towards the shadowy figure, letting out a cry of triumph when she felt her foot hit something. Her triumph was short lived when she felt someone smack her upside the head.

"It's me, damn it!" Kargo yelled as he yanked her out of the smoke. Now in clean air, Kargo held one hand over his injured eye while dragging a coughing Sachiko with the other as he ran top speed across the strange land. Jiro ran behind him and, surprisingly, managed to keep up with them.

"Wait! What about Pikkon-san?" Sachiko wheezed as they ran towards a large white building. "We can't just leave him in the smoke!"

"Oh yes we can!" Kargo shot back.

Finally getting her breath back, she glared at him. "You are so cruel sometimes!" she yelled. She wrenched her arm out of his grasp and began to run _backwards_ alongside Kargo so that she could face him. "I can't believe you can just leave a nice guy like Pikkon-san in that situation!" she scolded as she continued her backwards run. "Have some consideration about what state you leave your enemies in! You shouldn't just attack like some—OW!" Sachiko cried out in pain as she felt her body slam into what felt like a steel wall. The force of the collision knocked her off her feet, and she ended up face-down on the dewy grass as her head spun from the impact. Gods, her body _hurt_. All around her, she heard voices.

"Sachi! Are you okay?" _Yes, Kargo._

"Hey kid! You still alive?" _Yes, Jiro._

"Are you alright?"

_Now there's a new voice_, Sachiko thought, but she didn't try to move. _Just five more minutes, please_... She felt someone turn her body over, forcing her to face the light, and her eyes widened when she saw a tanned, silver-haired boy wearing black shades. Now what was his name again? Refi! He must have been the steel wall!

"Ah, you're conscious," said Refi. Was it her imagination, or did his voice sounded a bit rougher this time? "And you're _alive_! Live ones shouldn't be up here!" No, scratch that. His voice was normal.

Sachiko struggled to sit up, using Refi's left arm and shoulder as a support. "Can't really do anything about being alive," she said embarrassedly. "But I'm sorry about crashing into you. I should've watched where I was going."

"It's okay…but have we met?" Refi sounded confused. It was hard to tell from looking at him though, because his shades covered a third of his face. "I swear, I saw an ogre on my plane that had your head…"

"Well, love to stay here and chat, but we have to go," said Kargo gruffly as he pulled Sachiko to her feet. Sachiko winced as her back cracked unpleasantly, but ignored the pain as she leaned on Kargo. "We have things to do, places to go, ancestors to find…"

Refi's brow raised questionably at the last statement. "Ancestors to find? You wouldn't happen to be looking for Pikkon, would you? Because I just saw him, and he looks a lot like you." He looked directly at Kargo, who fumed slightly at the repeated mistake.

"Just mind your own business, pretty boy," Kargo snapped. "We have to go."

"Alright, but you live ones should make sure that you're in the right place."

Sachiko cocked her head. "The right place?"

"There's more than one type of Heaven," Refi explained. "This is a sort of 'Fighter Heaven.' Heroes from all over the universe are allowed to keep their bodies so that they can continue to train after they die. But if you were just a normal person, you get sent to 'Civilian Heaven' where your bodiless spirit floats throughout paradise for all of eternity."

Sachiko and Jiro both turned to Kargo at the same time. "Was your ancestor a hero or a civilian?" Jiro asked. Kargo gulped nervously.

"I don't know," he admitted. "He helped save the world once or twice, but I don't think he was a fighter."

"Then you're in the wrong place," said Refi.

Jiro turned aside and swore so badly that Sachiko almost screamed in horror. He turned back to Refi and asked, "Is there any way to get to Civilian Heaven from here?"

Refi laughed. "You have to get on a plane. I think my plane is still there."

Kargo gave Refi a surprise look. "You're not going to throw us out of here?"

"Why should I?" said Refi, shrugging. "What you three are trying to do isn't any of my business. It must be pretty important though, if you're willing to travel in the land of the dead. Good luck with whatever you're going to do."

"Thank you!" Sachiko said warmly, and gave Refi her sweetest smile. He grinned and patted her cheek.

"No problem."

"Alright, that's enough!" Kargo yelled. He grabbed Sachiko and began to stomp off in the direction of the plane. "We have to find Civilian Heaven. Business first, _pleasure_—" he glared at Refi "—later."

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

With a few directions from Refi, they managed to reach the plane surprisingly easily. They didn't meet anymore fighters, they managed not to draw anymore attention to themselves, and they didn't meet any ogres once they found the airplane. When they reached the cockpit, all they found was a small sign hanging on the plane door that said, "Back in ten minutes."

"Now what?" asked Jiro as he slumped into a nearby seat. "The pilots are gone, that green fighter is probably looking for us, and we don't even know how to get to Civilian Heaven. Maybe we should just give up."

"We can't!" Sachiko cried. "We have to bring back the villagers! We can't just quit now!"

"Well, unless one of you two can pilot this plane," sneered Jiro, "we're stuck here!"

A tense silence fell between the three after that. No one really knew what to say to that, and no one really knew what to do. So they just stood there, looking at one another, stopping and actually thinking about what they were heading into. In the minds of all three youths, the outcome of their journey, though different individually, did not look as glamorous the second time around.

"Say, have you seen a little girl around here?"

Sachiko lifted her head; that deep voice sounded familiar…

"Shit!" Kargo's eyes widened as he looked out the window. "It's that Pikkon guy! He's talking with some ogre men! We have to get out of here now!" He ran to the entrance and slammed the door shut just as Pikkon and the ogre pilots turned and pointed in their direction. "Oh man…they saw us!"

"_Wonderful_," said Jiro sarcastically. Sounds of yelling and angry pounding against steel could be heard from the other side of the door. "Now we'll get thrown out…thanks so much for the _great_ adventure."

"Shut your mouth!" Kargo snapped. Then he looked around. "Say…where's Sachi?"

"In here!" Sachiko called from the cockpit. She was sitting in the pilot's seat and was pushing every button she could reach. Loud rock music blared loudly from one button, and then the room suddenly turned cold as Sachiko pushed another. "Help me out guys! One of these buttons _has_ to start this plane!"

"What the hell are you doing kid?" said Jiro as he and Kargo ran into the cockpit. "None of us can pilot!"

"How hard can it be? Oh…hi Pikkon-san!" Sachiko greeted as the green alien jumped right in front of the cockpit windows. He made agitated motions for them to get out, but Sachiko, who didn't quite understand hand-signals, simply smiled at him and waved.

"Don't greet him!" Kargo yelled. "If he gets us we'll never get to see Dende!"

"Okay, okay! Oh! I think this button starts the plane!" Sachiko pressed down on a large red button, and the plane suddenly began to vibrate. "I-it w-w-works!" she cheered shakily.

"I'll s-s-say," vibrated Jiro. "C-can we s-s-stop the shaking p-p-please?"

"T-t-take o-off Sachi-chan!" Kargo ordered. "I'm g-g-gonna _puke_!"

There was a lever on the floor next to the seat. Sachiko pulled the lever back all the way, and the plane immediately began to lurch forward, knocking the upright Jiro and Kargo right off their feet, and hurling Pikkon right off the plane and onto the ground with a very audible "Ooof!"

"Sorry!" Sachiko yelled as she looked out the window. Grabbing the controls, she pulled it up, sending the metal craft airborne. "Whoo! I'm flying Kargo! Look at me! I'm flying!" She pulled the controls higher, and the nose of the plane tilted up, earning a delighted whoop from her.

"Sachi, please stop," Kargo pleaded from his position on the floor. His face looked even more green than usual, and he looked slightly nauseous. "Just level the plane out, I'm _begging_ you."

"Aw, you're no fun," Sachiko pouted.

"Look who's talking! Normally you hate flying!"

"Yeah, but here I know I won't fall from a lack of ki. What about you, Jiro? Don't you like my flying?" Sachiko waited for his response, but the only answer she got was the sound of vomiting just outside the cockpit. She frowned, and lowered the nose of the plane until it was level. Kargo let out a sigh of relief.

"Thank gods," he muttered as he picked himself off of the floor. He slumped into the co-pilot seat and stared out the window. "You're doing awfully well for a first-timer. Just don't crash us into any mountains, okay?"

"Uh-huh. So where are we supposed to go?"

"Your pretty boy—" It took Sachiko a minute before she realized that Kargo was talking about Reficul "—said that Civilian Heaven was one level down from the Grand Kai planet. So just lower us _carefully_ until we find it, okay?"

"You really don't know what you're doing, do you?" Sachiko asked. Kargo flushed.

"Well…we got this far, didn't we?" Kargo looked straight into Sachiko's eyes. "Anyway, we've been pretty lucky up until now. Let's not jinx it."

Sachiko grinned and turned her attention back to flying. "It's so nice," she said softly. "Just sitting here, not doing anything, not worrying about anything out of the ordinary…say, what's that?" Sachiko squinted at a blur outside, and her eyes shot open when she realized what it was. "Oh! It's Pikkon-san! Wow…just look at how skilled he is at flying!"

"What!" Kargo sat up in his seat and stared wide-eyed at the man flying right outside the cockpit. And he looked pissed. "Oh crud…he looks a lot like dad right now…Sachi! Do some of your freaky flying and throw him off our tail!"

"Hey!" Sachiko protested. "My flying is not freaky! And he's not on my tail, he's outside!"

"JUST FLY US OUT OF HERE ALREADY!"

Sachiko winced at Kargo's shouting but complied by pushing the controls all the way down. The nose of the plane began to sink dangerously, and Kargo's stomach began to churn when he felt his body press backwards against his seat as they sank rapidly through the clouds. Jiro burst into the cockpit, his face pale as a sheet.

"What the fuck is going on?" Jiro yelled. "Why are we descending like this?"

"We're trying to lose Pikkon-san!" Sachiko yelled as she pushed down even more on the controls, sending the plane into an almost vertical descent. Both boys screamed in fear as they sped through dozens of clouds at rising speed, but Sachiko let out a cry of delight as they sped faster and faster until everything was blurred, until they went past the clouds and into a clearing, right into…

"A MOUNTAIN!" Jiro screamed. "Kid, watch out for that mountain!"

Sachiko shrieked and pulled up at the controls, trying to stop their mad descent. She managed to level out the plane and turn it to the left of the mountain, but she wasn't able to get them off unscathed. As she turned, the mountain tore the plane's right wing off with a disgusting sound of metal scraping against rock. The three watched with horror as the wing dropped down, down, down into the desolate looking land below, and felt the plane begin to spiral out of control.

"This is it!" Kargo yelled. "Abandon ship!" The three raced out of the cockpit and tore open the plane door, grabbing on to each other when they felt the air rush past them, trying to suck them out of the plane. Neither one of them stopped to think. Without a word, they all jumped out of the plane, not bothering to even look when the plane crashed onto the ground below a few moments later.

Kargo quickly levitated himself in the air, and grabbed onto the flailing Jiro. He looked around frantically for Sachiko, and breathed a sigh of relief when he saw her hovering in the air from a great distance, her eyes shut tightly and her fists clenched as she floated down to the ground very, very slowly.

"You really are freaks," Jiro whimpered as he clutched onto Kargo's leg. "Flying…who on Earth can fly? Only freaks…"

"Show a little gratitude," Kargo growled. "I can drop you right now you know, and we're still pretty high up."

"Asshole," Jiro mumbled.

Kargo snorted as he looked around the area. It looked absolutely morbid compared to the Grand Kai's planet. It seemed like a large barren wasteland. The rivers seemed to be made of blood, not water, and the sky was a shocking reddish-pink. The mountain they had crashed into earlier seemed to be made of long, jagged rocks that made it look like a mountain of needles.

There was no way this was Heaven.

"Where the hell are we?" Jiro asked, looking around.

"I think you just answered your own question," Kargo muttered. "I think we should grab Sachi and get out of—AAAHGGGHH!" Kargo screamed as something hot and painful seared his back, and in his agony he let go of Jiro, who flailed and screamed as he dropped like a stone to the ground below. Despite his pain, Kargo tried to rush after him, but suddenly he was surrounded by four very ugly men, all dressed in strange armor of some sort, all aligned in a ridiculous pose. Kargo would have laughed had his situation not been so desperate. He could feel a fairly large amount of ki coming from these men, and he knew he could not take them all at once.

A shout below caused Kargo to look down, and he saw Jiro being held by the ankles by a very…_feminine_ looking man…if it was a man. Next to the supposed hermaphrodite was a vastly larger being, which looked similar but decidedly more male than the first being. Kargo growled. What was he to do?

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

Sachiko shut her eyes as tightly as she could, and focused all her ki into floating gently to the ground. She didn't dare open her eyes. If she did, she was afraid she would lose her nerve and fall.

_Just like breathing_, she told herself. _It's just like breathing…underwater._

She felt Jiro and Kargo in the distance, so she didn't worry about them too much. Jiro was fourteen and Kargo was almost thirteen; they could take care of themselves! Sachiko kept her focus up until she felt her feet touch something narrow and small, but solid. She released the breath she didn't realize she had been holding and opened her eyes…to meet the violet ones of a very strange looking creature.

His white face seemed human, but his head seemed to shape into a sort of large helmet at the top. A large majority of his body was a light green, with several dark spots here and there, and his feet seemed to shape themselves into black and yellow boots. It seemed that he was wearing a black cape, but at closer inspection, Sachiko saw that they were actually wings. He was leering at her and Sachiko didn't like that. She tried to back away but something was holding her feet. She looked down and almost screamed when she realized that she had landed right into his _hands_.

_This wasn't good._

"Well, well, well," said the strange creature in a silky voice. "Look what we have here."

_Nope_, Sachiko decided. _This wasn't good at all._

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

**Sachiko: Oh no! How do I get myself into these things? What in the name of Amaterasu are you? Cell? Who's that ugly old man behind you? Where are Kargo and Jiro? Oh! Pikkon-san! You came to save me! Wait, who's that man with you? Why is he wearing my family's training gi? And why…does he have…a tail?**


	8. The Strongest Dead Dudes of All Time

Disclaimer: I don't own DBZ. Why must you make me remind myself? (Cries)

A/N: I hate school. All those who hate school, say Aye! Honestly, I can't find a worse mood killer than tons of homework and final exams. Anyways, thanks to my reviewers for sticking with this fic. Despite the lack of readers, you guys give me the motivation to go on with this story.

Note: If you didn't already know, our trio is split up in HFIL, and there is a bit of repetition in their individual plotlines. However, I always write things a certain way for a reason. Also, the fight scenes here are relatively short, and I _do not_ want any complaints on that. Just think about it; Sachiko, Kargo, and Jiro are kids who did not have the type of training that Gohan, Goten, and Trunks had. In short, they cannot defeat powerful villains like Cell or Frieza at all. Keep up, maybe.

Keep in mind my dear readers, that the "main" main character is _Sachiko_. The story does and will focus on her the most. Then comes Kargo and Jiro. (Or the other way around, depending on how I feel.) Sorry to the Kargo and Jiro fans…but if you want me to focus on them more from here on (because the three will be splitting up a lot now), you _have_ to tell me! Knowing who your favorite character is does help, you know!

**_Chapter Eight: The Strongest Dead Dudes of All Time_**

His fists clenched, Kargo twisted his head in every direction, trying to keep his eyes on all four men at once. He already knew the outcome if he even _attempted_ to fight these weirdoes, but from the way they were leering at him, he didn't trust them to show any mercy either. His blood froze when one of them spoke, and he had to grit his teeth to prevent himself from whimpering.

"Look who we gots here," the largest man with orange hair said.

"A little shrimp, he is!" the red one commented, rapping Kargo's head with his knuckles. Kargo angrily pushed his hand away, and the men laughed brashly.

"This one's got spunk!" the blue one said. He cracked his knuckles unpleasantly, and grinned at his teammates. "Let's teach him a lesson in respect for his elders!"

Kargo inwardly panicked as all four men attacked him at once, but he quickly gathered his composure and leapt high into the sky right before impact, with the result of all four men crashing heavily into each other. But he hardly had time to blink before one of them, the red one, detangled himself from the heap, and flew at him with a look of pure annoyance.

Kargo hastily blocked a punch from the red man, and barely had time to stop the man's knee from smashing into his abdomen. But before he could counterattack, he felt someone kick him repeatedly on the back. _Hard_. Kargo turned around and threw a quick ki blast at the small green man's head, but he disappeared and instead, the large, over-muscular man with orange hair appeared in his place, just as the yellow blast collided against his chest.

The blast exploded on impact, and for a moment Kargo was surrounded by a layer smoke and haze. When it cleared, Kargo expected one less man to fight. However…he was met with a grinning muscleman who barely had a dent in his flashy armor. Kargo's jaw dropped before he could stop himself.

_Oh…my…gods…_

The muscleman laughed heartily at Kargo's shock, and without warning, punched him squarely on the nose, breaking it.

Blinded by the pain and unable to breathe due to his bloody nose, Kargo stumbled backwards, trying to put distance between himself and the large one. But he didn't get far as he felt the blue man's ki behind him. Kargo whirled around rapidly and tried to block a blow from above, but the force of the creature's attack broke through his guard and connected with the top of his head. At the same time came a kick from behind by the small green one.

The double impact was too much. Kargo felt his body go limp as his body fell rapidly through the air. His mind formed thoughtless words as he fell.

_Sachi…get away…_

As he looked up towards his attackers with his now blurry vision, he though he saw another Namek up there, a full grown one wearing a white cape, fighting the men. But that couldn't be. This was Hell. There were no Nameks in Hell…none that he knew about. Kargo blacked out before he hit the ground.

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

"Let go of me you bastard! Get your fucking hands off me!"

Jiro swung furiously in the white-and-purple creature's grasp, trying to free his ankles without success. The creature smirked at him, and Jiro felt an unpleasant shiver go up his spine.

"Tsk, tsk. This is the thanks I get for saving your life? You should learn a little gratitude." The feminine quality of the creature's voice was highly unpleasant to listen to, and Jiro struggled even harder.

"I would have been just fine, thanks!" he spat as he hung upside down. "I mean, it's not like a fifty-foot fall is something I'm worried about! I'm more worried about getting away from a fag like you!"

"What did you say, you insolent brat!" the creature yelled. He raised his fist in an attempt to slap him, but the larger being behind him grabbed his raised wrist.

"Now Frieza," said the larger being, "play nice. You should at least give the lad a sporting chance to defend himself…before you hurt him."

Frieza's eye twitched slightly before he smiled. "Of course father…you're absolutely right." He dropped Jiro onto the dusty ground, where he immediately picked himself up and got into a fighting stance. Frieza laughed. "You actually think you can win, boy? You're either very brave…or very stupid. Just like a certain monkey prince who betrayed me long ago…"

Jiro raised a questionable brow. "You fight monkeys? Is everything alright upstairs?" Jiro pointed to his head with a cocky grin, and Frieza's smile was replaced with a deadly grimace.

"Arrogant, aren't you?" Frieza whispered softly. "Well, well…I see I'm going to have fun taking you down." Frieza raised two fingers and pointed them at Jiro.

"What the hell are you up to?" Jiro yelled. Frieza said nothing. He only smiled broadly as the tips of his fingers began to glow bright red.

"Do you know what I call this move?" Frieza whispered as his fingertips glowed brighter and brighter. "I call it…my _Death Beam_!" A bright beam of energy ejected quickly from his fingertips, and Jiro stood there stupidly as the beam shot toward him and sliced through his side.

Jiro screamed a split second later as he sank to the ground. It was as if all of the right side of his body was on _fire_. He gently touched his wound, gritting his teeth as the pain shot through his body like a hot knife through butter. In all his fourteen years, he had never experienced a move like that. _What the hell was that?_

"Bitch!" Jiro screamed as he picked himself off the ground. Clutching his injured side, he stood up and glared furiously at Frieza and his father, who was watching the whole scene as if it was an entertaining movie. "That move can't be legal! It's some sort of trick!"

"Trick?" Frieza and his father glanced at each other for a minute before guffawing loudly. "A trick! Oh what a laugh! Don't you know what ki is, brat?"

Jiro didn't even know what ki meant, let alone what it was. But he'd rather be best friends with Kargo before he admitted to Frieza that he didn't know what something was. Jiro stood up as straight as he could before saying, "Of course I know what ki is! I was just testing you! I meant for that beam thingy to hit me! What do you say to that?"

Frieza just chuckled before creating a large, glowing red ball in his hand. "I say…dance little boy!" He hurled the ball at Jiro, who dodged it by inches as the ball sailed off in the distance. Jiro smirked and turned towards Frieza, who had another ball all ready for him. Jiro paled, and backed away slowly. Frieza grinned evilly at him, and threw the ball at him again.

Jiro dodge-rolled away from the blast, first to the left, then to the right as Frieza continued to hurl energy balls in his direction. Frieza growled, and created two separate balls, one in each hand, and threw them both at Jiro at the same time. Jiro leaped into the air, avoiding both of them, and this time ran directly at Frieza, his fists raised and ready to strike. He leaped into the air and aimed a punch for Frieza's face, but before the blow even came close to connecting, Jiro saw Frieza shoot another red blast.

This one was unavoidable.

Jiro choked on his own screams as the hot, burning energy ball seared through his stomach. His attack fell short as he collapsed on the ground near Frieza's feet, choking and sputtering with pain. This was ki? This was more dangerous than any man-made weapon he had ever encountered. Jiro gasped as his stomach twisted from the attack, and he knelt to the ground in agony.

Moments later, he felt his head being pushed to the ground, with a heavy force crushing the back of his skull. Jiro slowly turned his head to the side, and saw that Frieza was forcing his head down with his foot.

_That fag-of-a-bitch_, he thought viciously. _I'm going to rip his balls off_!

"Had enough?" Frieza asked coyly. Jiro tried unsuccessfully to spit in his face. "So that's now you're going to act? You really are just like _him_. Oh well. A loss is a loss." Frieza knelt down and pressed two fingers to Jiro's forehead. The tips began to glow, and Jiro began to scream as he felt the heat sizzle against his skin. Frieza smirked at his pain. "Good-bye, boy—AAGGGGH!"

Frieza flew off of Jiro as a small, muscular man in a black gi came out of nowhere and jump-kicked Frieza in the head. Jiro pushed himself off the ground and stared at the man. His blond hair was completely spiky, and there seemed to be a golden aura around him. Jiro also felt a strange feeling of power around the man, though he had no idea why.

Frieza picked himself off the ground as the small golden man quickly knocked out his father with two swift kicks. He snarled, and then created a large red energy ball in his hand, which he promptly aimed at Jiro. The small golden man, who had finally turned his attention to Frieza, stopped in his tracks.

"Vegeta, if you lay one hand on me…the boy dies," Frieza threatened. Jiro gasped and tried to back away, which caused Frieza to make the ball bigger. "Don't move, brat!" Frieza yelled, and Jiro stayed put.

_Stupid, stupid, stupid,_ Jiro thought. The man called Vegeta frowned for a moment, then grinned. "So you've finally been reduced to threatening children, eh? Go ahead," he said.

"What!" Jiro and Frieza yelled at the same time. Vegeta's grin became broader.

"You heard me. Go ahead and kill the brat. It's not even mine, so why should I care? Go ahead!"

Frieza stared at Vegeta in disbelief before growling. "You think I won't do it! Just watch me!" Frieza shot the ball at Jiro, who was too shocked to even try to move. But seconds before the ball hit him, Vegeta appeared in front of him out of nowhere, and knocked the ball back towards Frieza with the greatest of ease. Jiro saw Frieza's eyes widen and heard him scream as his own ball of energy burned him alive. Moments later, Frieza collapsed to the ground face-first, his body twitching slightly. Jiro cringed from his position on the ground. Vegeta…he just knocked the blast like it was nothing. Who was this guy?

Vegeta turned to him with a serious look on his face. Jiro swallowed nervously, but managed to give Vegeta a cocky smile, which faltered when he saw Vegeta's hair turn to black the next second. Jiro locked eyes with Vegeta and for a moment neither one said anything to the other. Both were too busy trying to size the other up. Finally, Jiro spoke.

"So…Vegeta is it? Where the fuck am I and what the fuck are you?"

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

Sachiko gave a shaky smile to the green creature, who still held her feet in a vice-like grip. "What's your name?" she asked in the friendliest voice she could muster. "I'm Muzai Sachiko. Pleasure to meet ch'ya." She extended her hand as a sort of pleasant gesture. As she did, she focused all of her ki to her feet, which began to glow very faintly.

The creature did not take her hand, and continued to leer at her unpleasantly as he descended to the ground. "Well child," he said in a silky voice, "my name is Cell. I must say, I was quite surprised to find a young, _live_ little girl such as yourself wandering around in a place like this. Whatever are you doing here?" He gave her an up and down stare, his eyes widening slightly when they came to her tail. Sachiko gulped nervously.

"I…I…fell from Heaven?" Sachiko replied, focusing more ki to her feet. She gasped when she felt Cell grab her tail and cried out when he began to squeeze it painfully. "L-leggo of my tail!" she yelled, and kicked him in the face as hard as she could with her now free leg. His head sagged to the side, and for a moment Sachiko thought she had him.

Until she realized that he hadn't flinched once. Slowly, he lifted his head up and smiled at her, his grip tightening even more on her tail. Sachiko had to bite her lip to keep from screaming. "You are quite an interesting specimen," Cell remarked as he watched her struggle in his grasp. "Tell me child…you wouldn't happen to be a Saiyajin, would you?"

Sachiko didn't listen to his question; she was more concerned with the pain from her tail and the blood trickling down her chin as she continued to bite down on her lip. She glanced up when he squeezed her tail again, and focused all of her power to her captive foot.

For a minute, Cell didn't notice anything. Then, a loud sizzling sound could be heard, and it came from…

"AGGGH! MY HAND!" In agony and surprise, Cell released Sachiko and she fell to the ground, landing shakily on her feet. She didn't waste a moment; she immediately turned on her heel and ran as fast as she could in the other direction, away from Cell.

"Get back here you miserable child!" Cell yelled, but Sachiko paid him no heed as she ran top speed towards a nearby crevice.

_Got to get away_, she thought. _Got to get away, especially from scary, icky men like Cell. _

She could feel Kargo and Jiro in the distance, although both their ki were lower than usual. She could also feel the presence of exceptionally powerful beings, and her heart constricted with fear. Did something horrible happen to them? Were they fighting for their lives this very moment, against creatures like Cell? Would they be able to get out of this alive?

Sachiko was so preoccupied with her thoughts that she didn't notice her surroundings as she ran into the crevice, the result being that she ran headfirst into a very old looking man with even older looking clothing. Sachiko fell hard on her rear as a result of the collision, while the old man just stumbled back a step.

"Watch where you're going!" The old man snapped. Sachiko groaned and rubbed her lower back as she pulled herself to her feet. Despite the old man's rudeness, years of miko training had taught her to always be polite to the elderly…even if they were less than pleasant.

"Gomen," Sachiko apologized as she bowed down before the old man. "Forgive me, sir—"

"It's Dr. Gero."

"Err…Dr. Gero. Forgive me, but I am in quite a hurry. I have to get away from this strange creature…he is chasing me as we speak! In fact, you must run too! His name is Cell and I don't think he's the friendliest of creatures."

Dr. Gero scoffed. "Of course he's not friendly. I programmed him to be destructive."

Sachiko tilted her head, forgetting about her current situation. "You…programmed him?"

"Of course he did," said a cold, silky voice from behind. "You have to program an android."

"What's an andr—" Sachiko began, but stopped when she realized who was speaking. Her blood ran cold as she slowly turned around to face the now pissed-off Cell. _Gee, _she thought, _this isn't going well._ "Err…hi Cell-san," Sachiko greeted pathetically, waving at him. "Err…how's your hand?"

Cell growled and showed her a charred, blackened hand. "What do you think?" he asked coldly. Dr. Gero, who had been watching them, suddenly laughed loudly.

"A mere child did that to you Cell?" Dr. Gero asked. "Really, you must be losing your touch after all these centuries. I can feel the power level from this one and it's ridiculously _low_. I doubt if even Gohan was this weak as a child."

"You think I don't know that?" Cell asked, his voice rising in irritation. "I can read power levels too, you idiot! But look at her tail. Look at her tail, you fool!"

Dr. Gero scoffed, but looked down anyway, and he gasped very audibly when he saw Sachiko's tail, which she wrapped self-consciously around her waist. _They really must not like tails_, she thought as she backed away from the two creatures. Her subtle retreat was stopped, however, when Cell disappeared and reappeared behind her, his hands descending quickly on her shoulders. Sachiko eeped quietly, and looked up to meet his stormy violet eyes.

"Where do you think you're going?" Cell asked, his voice like frozen velvet. "I don't think we were finished back there. I think it's payback time for my hand!"

Sachiko yelped and twisted out of Cell's grasp. Whirling around, her fists glowing, she aimed a ki-focused punch towards his torso. However, her attack was blocked, or rather; her fist was grabbed by the strange Dr. Gero, who was chuckling menacingly as he held her still glowing fist. Sachiko suddenly felt weaker; it was as if someone was sucking out her vitality this very moment.

"It's my Ki Absorption," Dr. Gero said, enjoying Sachiko's mortified expression. "It lets me drain every bit of ki from my opponent's body…very useful attack once you get the hang of it."

Sachiko didn't answer; it felt as if her very life was being taken away from her. She had to get him to let go! Forcing herself to look around, she noticed that there were several loosened rocks near the top of the crevice. If only she could get to them…Sachiko focused all of her remaining ki into one, solid white energy ball and hurled it as far as she could towards the top of the crevice, praying that it hit its mark.

It did.

The white ball exploded against the largest boulders at the very top of the crevice, and in a second all of the rocks hurled down towards them. Cell and Dr. Gero were too shocked to move, but Sachiko pulled out of Dr. Gero's grip and ran out of the crevice as fast as her legs allowed her go. Finally she stumbled out into the light and collapsed onto the ground, dodge-rolling the last minute to avoid a boulder from smashing against her skull. Behind her, she heard the sound of the avalanche filling up the crevice, but she didn't have the heart nor the strength to turn around. Instead, she dragged herself across the dusty ground towards a large, white, blood-filled fountain and rested her head against the white stone. She would rest here until she recovered some of her strength. Sachiko sighed and closed her eyes.

But the gods weren't that merciful. Minutes later, Sachiko heard the rocks from the crevice moving, and heard the loud, angry voices of Cell and Gero. She nearly screamed.

_Why must you torment me so, Amaterasu? What wrongs have I committed?_

Sachio tried to get up, but almost all of her energy had been drained by that Gero. If she had to fight them now, she would surely die. She tried once more to get up and failed. Looking in the direction of the crevice, she saw Cell and Dr. Gero emerge from the remains of the avalanche. She was doomed.

_Doomed._

As the two creatures flew towards her, the word repeated itself over and over in her mind, as if a nasty little demon was whispering in her ear.

_Doomed_.

It frightened her. She had never been doomed before. Grandfather would always stop the fight if either one of them got too tired.

_Doomed. _

This was the real deal.

_Doomed. _

She was done for.

_Doomed! _

As the came closer and closer, the thought sickened her. Filled her with rage she had never allowed herself to feel before.

_Doomed!_

She could see the whites of their eyes now. She knew they were screaming something at her, but she couldn't, or wouldn't, hear what they were saying. No. She would not die to them!

_DOOMED!  
_

As they came within inches of her, Cell prepared what looked to be a huge blue ki blast in his hands. As he shot to towards her, Sachiko shut her eyes and _screamed_. In the darkness, she could pretend that they weren't going to kill her. As she screamed, she could let out her worries, her fears, every bad feeling in her body that threatened to take revenge on its frame. In the darkness, as she screamed, she could forget reality, life, even death. And in all honesty, it felt quite good.

But why was death taking so long?

Sachiko stopped screaming, and cautiously opened her eyes. A few seconds ago, Cell and Dr. Gero had been right next to her, prepared to kill her with a huge ki blast. Now, they were both scattered, unconscious, and were now a good distance away from her.

Her back and bottom felt wet. Sachiko looked down and saw that the fountain behind her had broke. Blood and bits of white stone flowed behind her onto the ground, staining her dark blue hair, her large white shirt, and her dark green shorts with a thick, sticky substance.

But if that wasn't disturbing enough, the area around her was now filled with craters, as if a miniature meteor shower had taken place during her screaming. However, the largest crater was around her, as if the largest meteor had smashed her right on the head without her notice.

Something happened, but she didn't know what. Maybe Cell's blast had been defective and…blew up before it hit her. Yes, that had to be it. Sachiko dragged her body away from the widening blood pool. Yes…Cell had made a mistake.

_Lucky, lucky me._

Cell groaned and picked himself up off the ground.

_Or not._

He looked around, wide-eyed with shock, and turned to her with a menacing glare. "You little brat," he snarled. "Look what you've done!" With that, he charged towards her, fists raised. Sachiko just stared at him dumbly. She didn't even have the will to scream this time.

Suddenly, a large flash of fire kicked Cell right in the chest, knocking him back a good deal. Sachiko stared at the fire as it spun around, the flames ebbing away to reveal…

"Pikkon-san!" Sachiko gasped. Pikkon turned to her at the sound of her voice, and his eyes widened at her present state.

"What happened to you?" Pikkon knelt down and tried to help her to her feet, but had to drop her to avoid a ki blast sent by Cell. "Stay here!" Pikkon ordered, and flew towards Cell to deliver a clean uppercut to his jaw. Sachiko wouldn't have been surprised if it broke.

"Hyah!" A new voice behind her caused her to turn around to see the now conscious Dr. Gero fighting a man with outrageously spiky black hair. Because of the distance between them, Sachiko had to squint to see the man, but she could just make out an orange and blue gi…like the one her family wore! How did this man have it! Sachiko squinted even more, and thought she could just make out a long, furry brown…tail.

Who was this man?

A thud on the ground nearby caused Sachiko to turn her attention back to Pikkon, who had Cell unconscious on the ground. Pushing the creature aside with one foot, Pikkon made his way over to her, and Sachiko, remembering what she and Kargo and Jiro did to him earlier, bowed her head in shame.

"I'm sorry!" Sachiko piped up before Pikkon could open his mouth. "I didn't mean to knock you off the plane, or send you on that wild goose chase, or give you a hard time. I'm sorry!" Sachiko lowered her head even more until Pikkon gently took her chin and lifted her face up towards his.

"Kid, it's okay," he said quietly. "I'm just glad you're still in one piece. This is no place for a little kid like yourself." He looked around. "But where are your two male companions? I thought I saw two other boys with you on the plane."

Sachio gasped. "Kargo! Jiro! I completely forgot!"

"Is everything alright?" a cheery voice asked. Sachiko looked behind her to see the man that had been fighting Dr. Gero. He looked more impressive up front, with his muscle-bound body and his smiling face. But Sachiko was still unnerved by his clothing and tail, and backed away from him towards Pikkon.

"Everything's fine Goku," Pikkon replied, noticing her sudden discomfort. "The girl…uh…" Pikkon turned towards her with an embarrassed smile. "What's your name?"

"Sachiko," she muttered, not raising her head. Pikkon had just called the other man Goku…why did that name sound so familiar? Agh! She wished she was smarter! Sachiko wrung her hair with her hands, making Pikkon give her a questioning look, but she didn't say anything else.

"Anyway…other than Sachiko, there are still two more kids down here. We have to find them."

"Okay." Goku bent down so that his head was level with Sachiko's. Sachiko suddenly found herself eye-to-eye with him, and she eeped, which caused Goku to laugh. "It's nice you meet you Sachi-chan! I'm Goku."

Sachiko looked up at the use of her old nickname, and Goku gave her a big, goofy grin which she couldn't resist returning.

"See?" Goku patted her on the un-bloody part of her head. "I'm not a bad guy. But you…you've caused quite the commotion around here."

"Goku," Pikkon said with a strange bite of impatience in his voice. "The other boys…"

Goku nodded. "I sense Piccolo and Vegeta in the distance, and I kinda sense two weak power levels as well. I'll go see if they've found our missing boys." Goku turned to Sachiko and smiled. "Would you like to come with me, or go back to the Grand Kai planet with Pikkon and heal up?"

Sachiko opened her mouth to answer, but was cut off by Pikkon. "Goku use your head! Can't you see she can barely walk right now? She has to be healed at once."

"Well you don't have to yell…" Goku pouted. He patted Sachiko on the head again. "Try not to let him intimidate you…Pikkon's not exactly a social guy." Sachiko nodded dumbly and watched as Goku pressed two fingers to his forehead and disappeared in an instant. _Just like Mr. Popo did…_

"I don't think you can fly in your condition," Pikkon said as he observed Sachiko's failing efforts to stand. He bent down and scooped Sachiko in his arms. "Hold on tight!"

Sachiko wrapped her arms around his neck as she usually did with Kargo, but her grip increased ten-fold when he began to fly at breakneck speed. Sachiko could barely open her eyes; he was flying so fast that everything around them was a blur.

_Too fast, too fast, too fast, too fast…_

Kargo and Jiro. She hoped they were okay. She hoped they would meet again, and then they could talk about what had happened. Sachiko clung on to Pikkon, wondering if every other fighter here was as strong, as powerful, and as fast. Her mind drifted to Goku, and she had a gut feeling that he was just as strong. As disturbing at those facts were, at the same time, it excited her. Grandfather would not be able to last a minute against men like these…

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

**Kargo: Ow…where am I? What! We're back at the Grand Kai's planet? Oh gods, PICCOLO'S here? Wait, that's not dad…hey Jiro, who's that short guy with you? SACHI! What are you doing with that Pikkon guy? And who's that guy with the…GEEZ! That's Goku! That's your ancestor! Oh wait…I can go see Dende? Cool! Let's go Sachi-chan! Hey! What do you mean she can't come with…HEY! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING? NO!**

**Jiro: Geez. You really go over the top with these "Next Time" commentaries.**

**Kargo: Don't look at me. TURMOIL makes me do them.**

**Jiro: Why's she even choosing you to do it anyway? We all know that the good readers like _me _the best.**

**Kargo: Yeah right…in an alternate universe, maybe.**

**Jiro: Take that back.**

**Kargo: No!**

Jiro: TAKE IT BACK!

**Kargo: MAKE ME!**

**Sachiko: Okay…while these two are duking it out, maybe you guys can help them shut up. Read and review with detail, everyone! (Looks at Kargo and Jiro, then whispers.) Besides…you guys like me the best, right?**


	9. Negotiations

Disclaimer: This is getting really old… I don't own DBZ.

A/N: Thanks to all you guys for reviewing. This chapter was a stumbling block for me, but I hope I can keep you guys happy…

I have a few questions for readers at the end of the chapter. I ask any reviewer out there to please answer them in addition to any other remarks. Guys please…I need this feedback.

_**Chapter Nine: Negotiations**_

"Hey. Wake up."

Kargo groaned at the sound of the deep, scratchy, unfamiliar voice. He tried to open his eyes, but they felt glued together. He tried to sit up, but his aching body seemed to scream in protest at his attempt. So he stayed there, eyes closed on the dusty ground, wondering why the hell he was still alive.

If he _was_ still alive.

"Hey kid! Can you hear me?"

The last thing he remembered was fighting those four men when they attacked him. He remembered them beating the holy shit out of him, and then he remembered falling…and seeing another Namek…

He felt someone poke his head with a gloved finger. Sharply. And repeatedly. _Ow…ow…ow…_

"Maybe we should just leave him here."

Another new voice! Well, at least it wasn't coming from one of his attackers. Or was it?

"It doesn't look like he'll live much longer anyway."

Poke. Poke. _Ow…ow…make him stop!_

"Be quiet, Vegeta!" The first speaker yelled. "And stop poking him like he's a dead animal!"

_Thank you, kind stranger._

"I wouldn't mind leaving the freak here," a third, younger voice pitched in. "More trouble than he's worth." That was Jiro! He was still alive! _And what the hell did he just say?_

Kargo furiously wrenched his eyes open and (depending on who the person was) found himself staring at three pairs of worried, indifferent, or slightly disappointed eyes. Kargo gasped and tried to sit up; the pair of worried eyes belonged to the Namek he had seen earlier.

"Who are you?" Kargo asked. "What happened to those men back there? And who the hell is _that_?" Kargo pointed at the short, spiky haired man standing next to Jiro.

"Have some respect, brat!" the man yelled. "It's bad enough that I had to watch out for a foul-mouthed human spawn—"

"Hey!" Jiro protested as he narrowed his eyes. The man responded by giving the teenager an equally powerful glare.

"Cool it, Vegeta," the grown Namek growled. He turned to Kargo with a serious look on his face. "You were attacked by a group known as the Ginyu force. When they were living, they were well known around the universe for their strength. It's a wonder you're still alive."

"How special I feel," Kargo said sarcastically. "But anyway…thanks for saving me…eh…"

"Piccolo."

"Piccolo," Kargo finished, and then stopped. He stared at Piccolo with a wide-eyed look of fear and amazement. "_Piccolo_! Your name is _Piccolo_?"

"Yes…" The grown Namek was a bit unnerved by the younger boy's sudden change in attitude. "Is there a problem with my name?"

"N-n-no! Everything's fine." Nervously, Kargo tried to grin, and then immediately regretted his action; his facial muscles and the area around his nose began to sting painfully. To make matters worse, his head began to throb as well. Kargo held his head in his hands. _Oh boy…what a day._

Wait a minute. What did Piccolo (Kargo shuddered at referring the Namek that) call the short man? Vegeta, was it? Kargo looked up at Vegeta, who was still having a stare-off with Jiro. This couldn't possibly be happening. Kargo reached under his hoodie and pulled out the journal, flipping to a marked page. His eyes widened when he came across a particular name, and he blanched. Vegeta! Here! This man was _the_ Vegeta! This man was one of Sachiko's possible ancestors! He had to tell her! Where the hell was she? Gods, why did his head hurt so much?

"Rich boy!" Kargo yelled suddenly, causing Jiro to lose his concentration and the stare-off with Vegeta.

"Haha! I win!" Vegeta declared smugly. Jiro growled and glared daggers at Kargo.

"What?" Jiro asked angrily.

"Where's Sachi?"

"How the fuck should I know, freak? I didn't see her since we jumped off that plane!"

"Oh gods." Ignoring the pain in his head and body, Kargo stood up and stumbled in the direction where he had last felt Sachiko's ki. "I gotta find her…" He managed to take two steps before he crumpled to the ground. Piccolo, who was standing behind him, caught him by the back of his hoodie before he hit the dirt.

"Kid," Piccolo warned as he set Kargo on the ground, "you can't even walk in your condition, let alone look for your friend. Now I sense a couple of acquaintances of mine in the distance. I'm sure if your friend is out there, she's probably with them or something."

"You don't understand..." Kargo mumbled. His head was now _pounding_, and the area around him seemed to be spinning. "I have to…to…"

"Hey, kid!" Piccolo's voice sounded distant, like a dream. "_Hey_! Don't blackout on me!"

_Great_, Kargo thought as his vision darkened. _Here comes the blackout._ He closed his eyes before letting the pain wash over his worn body.

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

At some point, Sachiko stopped relying on her sight. Now, as she clung tightly to Pikkon, she closed her eyes and enjoyed the feeling of the wind roaring against her body, flowing through her loose clothing as they flew rapidly towards the Grand Kai's planet. Whenever Pikkon went faster she let out a whoop of delight, and whenever he slowed down she whimpered softly. Right now, he was flying top speed, and Sachiko shrieked and laughed as she clung on to him with her face buried in his neck.

"Hey! Not so loud! My ears are a bit sensitive, you know!" Pikkon's face looked serious, but Sachiko, when she looked up, could see his eyes were somewhat brighter than before.

"Gomen, Pikkon-san," Sachiko apologized and gave him a warm smile, which he returned.

"Say," Pikkon asked, "when you were being attacked by Cell…did you let off a huge energy blast?"

Sachiko gave Pikkon a confused look. "Whadd'ya mean?"

"Well, that's how Goku and I found you. We felt this huge energy signal and we followed it…and found you."

Sachiko tilted her head. "I can't even _fly_ properly, Pikkon-san. A huge energy blast like that would have needed a really strong warrior or something… like you!"

"Heh. We're almost there, Sachiko. I'm going to fly really fast now, so hold on tight, okay?"

"Ok—AAAYY!" Sachiko screamed as he began to fly at an almost unnatural speed. She tightened her grip on him and buried her head against his neck again, trying not to let him see how scared she was. _It's going to be okay_, she told herself. _You're going to be okay. Pikkon-san won't crash like the plane, and neither of you will die a horrible death. Relax…_

"We're here." Pikkon's voice pulled her out of her thoughts. With her head still against his neck, Sachiko cautiously opened her eyes, and caught sight of a strange mark at the base of his neck. It was a very old wound, hardly noticeable, but it was almost like two puncture marks…

Sachiko eeped as Pikkon set her gently, though without warning, to the ground in front of a large white building. Sachiko wobbled slightly for a minute; her legs weren't used to standing just yet. She tried to look up to see the mark, but at ground level, coupled with her short height and Pikkon's tall one, it wasn't possible. It was then she realized that part of Pikkon's white robes were stained red. Sachiko looked at her own shirt and realized that the blood that she had sat in at…wherever that place was…had not dried yet. Now they both looked like a mess…

"I'm so sorry!" Sachiko cried, causing the green fighter to look down at her with surprise. "The blood from the fountain at that scary place…It got on my shirt, and now it got on your shirt because you had to carry me! I'm so stupid!"

"Hm?" Pikkon looked down and noticed the stains. "You mean this? It's nothing, really. You're not…stupid. Just calm down. You're overreacting…" Sachiko frowned.

"It's just that you've been so _nice_ to me," Sachiko explained. "And me and my friends-"

Sachiko never finished her sentence, for just then Goku appeared out of nowhere, Jiro clutching the back of his shirt with a stunned look on his face, and Kargo unconscious in his arms.

Wait…Kargo was unconscious in Goku's arms!

"Hi!" Goku greeted, and then had to back away when Sachiko ran up to him, half hysterical.

"Kargo!" Sachiko screamed. She pulled at Goku's arms relentlessly until the man laid Kargo onto the ground. Sachiko then grabbed his shoulders and began to shake him. "Kargo! Wake up! WAKE UP!" Sachiko turned to Goku, her eyes wide and filled with tears. "Oh Goku-san, what happened to him? Why won't he wake up?"

"He was like that when I found him," Goku explained. Sachiko wailed and began to slap Kargo with every bit of strength she had. Which was still quite a lot. Goku, Pikkon, and Jiro winced as a loud cracking noise resonated from each slap. The sides of Kargo's face were beginning to darken.

"Kargo!" Sachiko screamed. "Wake up!" Slap. "Wake up!" Slap. "WAKE—"

"I'M UP!" Kargo bellowed, sitting up and catching her wrist before it connected with his face, which was now an interesting shade of puce. "STOP SLAPPING ME!"

"Kargo!" Sachiko's face brightened as she gave Kargo a bone crushing hug. Kargo gasped as he felt a rib move. "You're okay! I thought something bad happened and that you were never going to wake up!"

"You're not rid of me yet," Kargo groaned, loosening her hold on him. "But find another way to bring me out of unconsciousness next time, okay? Your slaps could kill somebody…"

"Ahem?" Jiro cleared his throat impatiently. "What the fuck am I? Chopped liver? Don't I get a little recognition? Or at least a 'Are you okay?' or something?"

"Watch your mouth," Pikkon warned, taking an immediate disliking to the teen. Jiro snorted and looked at Sachiko with a brow raised.

"Sorry Jiro," Sachiko said, and she immediately ran over to him and gave him a hug. Jiro blinked for a moment, then pushed her off of him.

"That's not exactly what I meant," he muttered, not looking at Sachiko's smiling face. "Forget it."

"Well, now that this little reunion's over with, we can send you kids home." Sachiko, Kargo, and Jiro looked up and saw a small, thin old man with long, white hair making his way down the white marble stairs. He was wearing black shades, blue jeans, and a ripped vest that was made from the same material as his blue jeans. He wore a white shirt under the vest, and carried a stereo over his left shoulder. Loud rock music blared from the stereo, and the old man was dancing to it with a "funky groove."

Jiro and Kargo, who were more up to date with modern music, stared flabbergasted at the old man for daring to play something so out of date. Sachiko, who didn't know any music other than the music used for the Shinto dance rituals, nodded her head playfully to the beat until Jiro smacked her upside the head.

The three also realized that Goku and Pikkon were down on one knee—well, Pikkon was down on one knee. Goku was squatting. The two had their head bent down, and from the view of a person standing in front of them, like the old man, it would look like a sign of respect. But from the view of a person next to and behind them, like Sachiko, Kargo, and Jiro, they would have seen that Goku's expression was that of someone trying hard not to laugh, while Pikkon's was that of someone deeply regretting their actions. The three youths stared at each other. Who was this guy, to make Goku and Pikkon bow (kind of) but not do it out of total respect?

The old man turned off the stereo and grinned, giving them the "peace" sign. "What's happening, little dudes?" he asked, his voice so strangely accented that the three all had simultaneous, if not slightly different, reactions. Sachiko had to stifle several giggles while Kargo and Jiro's eyes twitched. Very visibly. "Something in your eyes, boys?" the old man asked. Both boys shook their heads. "Well, don't just stand there. Come in!" The old man noticed Goku and Pikkon on the side. "Hey, don't just sit there. Come inside! You guys can see the redecorating the Kais did for the new stadium."

The two men stood up and followed the old man and the youths (Kargo was being carried by both Sachiko and Jiro) into the building. In spite of the situation and the fact that they were caught, Sachiko twisted and turned her head in all directions to try to catch a glimpse of every detail in the building. Here also, the hallways were white. Sachiko wondered if that was a new trend.

Still, the rooms that Sachiko peeked into were wonderfully decorated, and some were breathtakingly out-of-this-world. One particular room looked like it was a part of outer space. It seemed as large as outer space as well. Sachiko wanted to go in, but Goku caught her, and took her by the hand, leading her away from the room. She gave him a small pout, which he answered with another goofy grin. Sachiko cocked her head as she held Goku's surprisingly warm hand. There was something about him…

"So!" The old man sat down a large, red, car-like chair and smiled at the three. Kargo sat on the floor, some of the feeling coming back to his limbs. "Let's get things straightened out! I don't really know how you got past Emma, but—"

"S'cuse me sir," Sachiko interrupted as politely as she could. "But who are you?" The old man was extremely affronted by this.

"Why I should be insulted! A young one not knowing who I am! But for a cutie pie like you, I'll be willing to overlook the matter, yeah. I'm the Grand Kai!"

"Oh." Sachiko nodded, then stared at him blankly. "What's a Grand Kai?"

Both Pikkon and Goku made strange noises; they seemed to be trying not to laugh, although it was much easier to tell from Goku than it was from Pikkon. The Grand Kai seemed to be too shocked to speak.

By this point Kargo had finally managed to stand up on his own. He dragged himself over to Sachiko and leaned on her heavily for support, ignoring the strange looks he was getting from Jiro. "Uh…Mr. Grand Kai…person…sir?"

The Grand Kai snapped out of his stupor and turned to the still wounded Namek. "Yeah? What's up my little green friend? We should get you to the infirmary or something. You don't look too hot."

Sachiko turned to her Namekian friend and felt his forehead. "He doesn't feel hot," she said as she removed her hand. "Hey Kargo! Your face is turning all purplish…"

"Anyway!" Kargo continued, pushing away from Sachiko, "I want to ask about this 'going-home-business' you were talking about. We're not going home. We still haven't done what we came here to do."

"Little dude, you and your little friends caused way too much trouble here. Lord Emma hit the roof when he found out that one of his planes crashed in HFIL—"

"Don't you mean Hell?" Jiro asked. The Grand Kai ignored him.

"Technically, you three shouldn't even be here. You kids are alive. This is the place of the dead. The opposite of alive. So, to keep things in order, you three have to scoot. Vamoose. Hasta la vista baby."

"Look," Kargo said quietly, his strength failing him, "we need to see the Namek called Dende. I want to learn how to make dragonballs, and the only possible way is through him."

"Take a spaceship and go to New Namek," the Grand Kai said. "You can't disturb the order in Otherworld any longer."

Goku suddenly cleared his throat. The Grand Kai turned to him. "What?"

"Um, don't you think you're being a little strict?" Goku asked. "I don't see the harm in just letting them see Dende."

"No!" The Grand Kai yelled his answer with such force that Goku immediately became quiet, although he still pouted somewhat. The Grand Kai glanced at the three youths again. "I'll have Goku and Pikkon escort you out," he said, and turned his back to them.

"If you throw us out, things will never get back to order for us!" Sachiko yelled. Kargo and Jiro stared at her. It was not like her to suddenly speak out like that. Next to them, Goku and Pikkon stared at her as well, Goku with a confused look and Pikkon with a shocked one.

"Young lady," said the Grand Kai with a hint of annoyance in his voice, "I think I know how to keep things in order—"

"My life will be over if we fail in getting the dragonballs!" Sachiko yelled, cutting off the older man. Her golden eyes flared angrily, and for a moment one could see a sort of dangerous fire burning there. "You live here! In Otherworld! In Paradise! You don't know what's happened during the last couple of days for me! You've never seen villages decimated, the people killed and violated to their very soul! You've never seen the ones you love killed…because of your mistake." Sachiko faltered off, the fire in her eyes dying. Tears slowly replaced the flame, and Sachiko looked up with watery eyes. "Please…" she begged softly. "Please…you have to let use stay. We don't know where this New Namek is. You have to let Kargo see Dende so he can learn to make the dragonballs. _Please_…you have to let me have a chance to make things right…"

Sachiko fell to her knees and sobbed quietly. The men and boys stared at her in shock, their jaws hitting the floor. Jiro, however, recovered almost immediately and marched over to Sachiko, grabbing her by the arm and hoisting her up.

"What the fuck are you doing?" Jiro hissed. "You're throwing away your dignity! Get up!"

Sachiko tore herself away from his grip and flung herself back on the ground. Jiro stared at her in disbelief and looked nervously to Kargo for support.

But then Kargo flung himself onto the ground as well, pleading and imploring the Grand Kai to change his mind. Jiro stood there, stunned, before he reluctantly joined then, though he went down on one knee instead of throwing himself onto the floor.

The Grand Kai stared helplessly at the three begging youngsters, and turned to Goku and Pikkon. They did not look as if they wanted to go against them. The Grand Kai sighed and rubbed his temples. "Kids these days," he said to himself. "No respect for authority. Alright, kids, listen up!"

Kargo, Jiro, and a red-eyed Sachiko lifted their heads.

"You three can stay in Otherworld."

"Yes!" A huge smile lit up Kargo's features. Jiro let out a sigh of relief, and Sachiko smiled. Just barely. She noticed Goku waving at her with one hand while giving her the victory sign with the other, and Pikkon gave her a grin.

"On one condition."

Those three words effectively destroyed everyone's good mood.

"Only the green one can go see Dende. You two—" the Grand Kai pointed to Sachiko and Jiro, "—have to say on this planet under the jurisdiction of your assigned Kai. That would be the North Kai…"

"Hey, that's not what we want!" Kargo protested.

"Hey, that's the best I can do. Unless you just want me to sent you all back home?"

Kargo growled. "No."

"Good." The Grand Kai flipped open a hidden compartment on the left armrest of his chair and pressed a button. For a moment, Kargo didn't feel anything, but then he felt a slight pain in his chest, as if a beam of hot energy had gone right through him. When he heard a thud directly below him, he looked down and realized that his body had fallen to the floor, with a lifeless expression on his face. But if he was on the floor…how was he still conscious? Kargo tried to scratch his head…when he realized he had no hands. He looked down; his legs were gone. He heard Sachiko's gasps and Jiro's snickers, and he quickly floated over to a nearby mirror.

And screamed.

He was a _cloud_. A _soul cloud_—just like the clouds he had seen when he had first arrived in Otherworld. Oh gods, this meant he was…

"Dead!" Cloud Kargo flew angrily over to the Grand Kai, who had a slightly smug look on his face. "You _killed_ me you outdated prune! Turn me back to the way I was…NOW!" Little bits of anger-made steam came out of Cloud Kargo, who circled his soulless body helplessly.

"Hey," said the Grand Kai, "that's something else I forgot to tell you. You can't go to Civilian Heaven with your body. There's no such thing as a body there. If you want to see Dende, you gotta agree to this."

"You're just _full_ of hidden conditions, aren't you?" Cloud Kargo muttered. He stopped circling his body and floated in front of the Grand Kai. "Okay. I'll go."

The Grand Kai grinned, and pressed another button. Suddenly, a trap-door opened up beneath Cloud Kargo, and an invisible force began to suck him downward, despite his resistance.

"YOU BASTARD!" Cloud Kargo screamed as he plummeted downwards through the door. The Grand Kai pressed the button again, and the trap-door closed. He turned to Sachiko and Jiro, who backed away from his gaze. The Grand Kai smiled at them before addressing Goku.

"Since you're already from the North Quadrant, take these kids and…introduce them or something. Keep an eye on them, will ya? We don't want them getting out now…"

"What about Pikkon-san?" Sachiko asked. "I like him _and_ Goku-san. Can't I stay with both?"

Pikkon smiled and touched her shoulder reassuringly. "I'm from the West Quadrant, Sachiko, so I can't go with you. Don't worry. I'll visit."

"What about the freak's body?" Jiro asked, poking the lifeless body. "We can't just leave it here…"

"Don't worry kid.," the Grand Kai said. "I'm sending it to the infirmary. When the green dude comes back, he needs a fit body to return to."

"Whatever." Jiro stuck his hands into the pockets of his dirt covered jeans and walked out behind Goku and Sachiko, who was holding the older man's hand tightly. Sachiko looked back and caught one more glimpse of Kargo's body and shuddered. Hopefully he could find Dende in Civilian Heaven…

Goku's hand tightened around hers, and Sachiko suddenly felt more reassured. Kargo would be fine. Strangely, having Goku-san and Pikkon-san around was nice. It was almost like having a father.

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

**Sachiko: While Kargo learns how to make dragonballs from Dende, Goku-san said he'd teach me how to fight better! Cool! Hey, Goku-san! Are these people your family members? They look nice…and they eat like me! Cool! What? Training time already? Okay…HEY! Goku-san! You know I can't fly! Oh! You'll teach me, Pikkon-san? But what about the tournament? Say…where did Jiro go? WHAT? He went back THERE?**

**Cloud Kargo: Okay, question one—**

**Jiro: Hey freak! You still don't have your body back? Fic's over!**

**Cloud Kargo: TURMOIL has it. I don't know what she wants with it…but anyway. Question one: How do you feel about the relationships between the characters? And you can expand it beyond the ones between me, Jiro, and Sachiko. Include Goku and that _Pikkon_ guy if you want. (Grumbles) Not even her ancestor….why's she being so nice to him?**

**Jiro: Well…we all know how _you_ feel about Sachi. Heh.**

**Cloud Kargo: Well, what about you? What do _you_ think of her?**

**Jiro: Next question! Which of the original characters of DB, DBZ, and DBGT do you think would appear in Fighter Heaven? Has to be from Goku's or Vegeta's family. (EX: Trunks, Gohan, etc.) Must be plausible, please.**

**Saciko: What're you guys talking about?**

**Cloud Kargo and Jiro: NOTHING!**

**Sachiko: Okay. Read and review with detail please!**


	10. Legends in the Flesh

Disclaimer: Don't own DBZ. However, all original characters belong to me, as well as the plot of this story.

_**Chapter Ten: Legends in the Flesh…Kind Of**_

It was nothingness Kargo felt as he fell. It was nothingness he saw all around him. But in his mind, in his still sharp mind, "nothingness" was a word that didn't exist. It couldn't, when his all of his thoughts were filled with vulgarity and outright anger at his sudden predicament.

_That goddamned fucking Grand Kai! How dare he do this to me, that bastard! That son-of-a-bitch!_

Among the thoughts of rage, there were thoughts of increasing doubt about his descent to Civilian Heaven. How long had he been falling? Was there no end to this portal of emptiness? Was there no light at the end of this godforsaken tunnel? Had that old prune tricked him yet again!

His thoughts were disrupted when he fell hard on…freshly cut grass. Wait a minute. Freshly cut grass? Kargo scratched his head…wait. He had hands again?

Kargo looked down and indeed, he saw his hands again. Letting out a cry of delight, he looked down…and saw a wisp of green vapor where his legs should have been. Great. Now he looked like a green genie. All he needed was a lamp. Frowning, he looked around at his surroundings.

Now this looked more like heaven. There were little paths of dirt, one leading to a large lake nearby, and another leading to a beautiful meadow in the distance. There seemed to be clearings everywhere, where grass would be cut to make room for small, well-kept gardens. He saw more genie-like people here and there, some he recognized as human, and some were of alien races he had no knowledge of. There were hundreds, no thousands, no _millions_ of them. He stared at them all, fascinated at first.

Then he realized he had a problem.

Dende could be anywhere. It could take forever and a day to find him, especially since souls from all over the universe came here. What was worse, he had no idea who to ask for help.

Curse that Grand Kai! How the fuck was he supposed to find Dende like this?

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

With Jiro lagging behind, Sachiko hid behind Goku's pant leg as they approached the North Quadrant facilities. The Grand Kai's behavior towards her didn't exactly give Sachiko a favorable impression of Kais, no matter what sort they were.

"Are you sure this North Kai won't mind, Goku-san?" she asked. Goku seemed to sense her nervousness, and grinned as he ruffled her hair.

"Don't worry, Sachi-chan!" Goku said soothingly. "Everyone here will love you! And you'll like King Kai."

"King Kai?" Sachiko asked, cocking her head.

"I call him King Kai, even though the Grand Kai calls him North Kai. He's nice and funny…I think. I don't really get all of his jokes, but I'm _guessing_ they're funny."

Sachiko frowned, and she tightened her grip on Goku. Suddenly, she felt something furry brush against the side of her face, and she turned her head to see a long, brown tail swishing in the air…one that looked like hers…one that came from the back of Goku's pants.

Sweet mother of Amaterasu…she had forgotten about Goku's tail. _Idiot!_

"Goku-san?"

"Hm?" Goku looked down and smiled warmly. "What's up, Sachi-chan?"

Sachiko bit her lip. "How…did you get a tail?"

"I was born with one," Goku answered simply. He looked at Sachiko's own tail and frowned. "But how did _you_ get a tail? Are you a Saiyajin?"

That word sounded familiar to her ears. Where had she heard that word before? Sachiko thought hard, but she couldn't recollect where she had heard that word. Maybe she had read it somewhere…

"What's that?" Sachiko asked suddenly, pointing off into the distance. Goku squinted at what seemed to be a huge dust cloud approaching them before he grinned.

"Here comes King Kai!" Goku said as he pointed to the dust cloud, which was starting to bear the silhouette of a man. "Gee, I've never seen him run that fast before…"

Sachiko peeked around Goku's leg and, dust cloud aside, caught sight of a slightly obese blue man in small circular shades running rapidly towards them. His face was pinched and full of anger, and Sachiko's nerves failed her as she hid herself behind Goku's pant leg once again.

"Goku!" King Kai yelled as he finally reached them. He stopped for a minute to catch his breath, but his face never lost its angry expression. "Where…were…you?" he wheezed, failing to notice Sachiko and Jiro. "I…_was worried_!"

"Sorry King Kai," Goku apologized to the panting elder, who seemed to be regaining his breath. "But I was with Pikkon—"

King Kai cut him off. "WHAT? You were with _him_! Goku, the tournament is in twenty-seven days! You can't go off and fraternize with people from other quadrants! What if they try to learn our strategies, or do something to you so you won't be able to fight? _Remember the Tuna Fish Mayhem, Goku!_"

"Oh, come on King Kai!" Goku protested. "Pikkon's not like that! And the East Kai apologized for the Tuna Fish Mayhem…"

"Hey!" Jiro interrupted. It was the first time he had spoken since they had left the Grand Kai's place, and his voice laced with irritation and boredom. "You gonna introduce us or not, Goku?"

"Oh yeah!" Goku stepped aside and gently pushed Sachiko into King Kai's view. "King Kai, this is Sachi-chan! And that's…eh…eh…" Goku stared blankly at Jiro. He couldn't remember the boy's name. "Eh…"

"Kutai Jiro!" the teenager yelled, his eyes and voice like ice.

"Right! This is Jiro!" Goku finished, oblivious to the younger boy's annoyance. "The Grand Kai said that they have to stay here for a while."

"But they're alive," King Kai said as he stared at the two youths, first staring at Sachiko, then at Jiro, then at Sachiko again. Sachiko squirmed under his look and her tail, on its own accord, began to swish anxiously. This caught King Kai's attention. "You have a tail?" he asked. It was more of a statement than a question, but Sachiko nodded nevertheless. King Kai frowned as he stared at the swishing brown appendage.

"But…it's not possible…"

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

"Excuse me sir, I'm looking for…Oh fine! Be like that!"

Kargo fumed as the hundredth soul brushed him off as if he wasn't there. People in the afterlife were jerks! Some just wanted to kill him, some just wanted to ignore him, and some just really wanted to piss him off! He'd rather be alive!

But he knew he couldn't give up. He literally went through Hell and back just to get the chance to see Dende. Giving up now was out of the question. Also, if he quit now, Sachiko would be depressed for the rest of her life. And ninety-two percent of why he was doing this was for her. No, giving up was out of the question.

Now, if only he could find someone who wasn't a bitchy jerk…

"Excuse me, misses?" Kargo glided over to where three human women were floating over the dirt path that led to the meadows. The one with light blue hair turned around to face him with a surprised look on her face. Her appearance startled Kargo for a moment; she bore a resemblance similar to that of Hideaki Kutai, Jiro's older sister.

"What's up?" the blue haired woman asked. "Is there a problem?"

"N-no," Kargo stammered, still not completely over the shock. He cleared his throat and quickly gathered his composure. "I'm looking for someone. His name is Dende and he's a Namekian…meaning he kinda looks like me."

"You're looking for Dende? Why?"

"You actually know Dende? I mean…It's…important…" Kargo said, trying to sound business-like.

The woman stared at him suspiciously for a moment, then shrugged. "Alright. Well, we were just heading to the meadows, and I think he should be there about now. We'll take you to him if it's _that_ important."

"Really? Thanks! Thanks so much!" Kargo bowed awkwardly to the woman, who smiled and called to the two other women to come over.

"I'm Bulma," she said when Kargo finally stopped bowing. She turned to the two other women and said, "This is Chi-Chi—" she pointed to a woman with short black hair and dark eyes ,"—and this is Videl." She pointed to a woman with blue eyes and braided dark hair, one who waved at him when he stared at her. Kargo lowered his gaze.

"I'm Kargo," he said quietly. "It's nice to meet you all."

"Well, we'd better get going," Chi-Chi said, gliding slowly on ahead. "The lake festival is going to begin soon, and we still have to get Bra and Marron from the meadow. My dad is already waiting for us at the lake."

As they glided over the dirt path, Kargo began to think. Their names he had seen somewhere before, and for a bunch of humans, these women seemed to know Dende well. Or maybe they just met Dende here, in Civilian Heaven. Kargo unconsciously reached for the journal under his hoodie…when he realized that the journal was gone.

Drat! The journal was with his body up in Fighter Heaven!

"Is something wrong?" Videl asked as they slowly approached the meadow. Kargo blinked at her worried face and shook his head.

"Hey! Bra! Marron! We have to go!" Chi-Chi yelled to two girls in the distance. Kargo craned his head; one girl was blonde and had crystal blue eyes. The other girl looked exactly like Bulma, with light blue hair and blue eyes.

_Geez,_ Kargo thought. _What was with all the blue eyes?_ At this rate, he never wanted to see another blue-eyed girl again. He would have given anything to see Sachiko's golden eyes right about now…

There was another figure with the girls. Kargo had to squint to see it, but it appeared to be a Namekian. Kargo held his breath. Could it possibly be?

"You're looking for Dende, aren't you?" Bulma asked suddenly. "Well, that's him over there."

If Kargo's heart had been capable of exploding, the area would have been splattered with his blood and body parts.

He had finally found Dende.

He had no memory of how he sped towards his ancestor. He had no recollection of how shocked and flabbergasted Dende looked when Kargo literally flew into his face, begging for an audience. All Kargo would remember was that Dende had asked him, "C-can I help you?"

And all Kargo would remember saying is, "I…I need your help, Dende-sama. I…I need to recreate the dragonballs for the planet Earth."

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

They had reached the North Quadrant facilities, but they had arrived in an atmosphere of high tension and uncertainty. King Kai, at seeing Sachiko, had become a bit wary of her. Absorbed in his thoughts, he didn't speak to anyone, and immediately rushed into a nearby house when they reached their destination, not bothering to notice the men who bowed to him on the way. Sachiko was downhearted at this.

"He doesn't like me," she murmured sadly.

"It's not that," Goku explained hastily. "It's just that…he's a bit surprised by you, that's all."

"Forget him, Sachiko," Jiro said as he placed a hand on her shoulder. "He's a jerk. Fuck him."

"Hey! Watch your mouth!" Goku warned. "This is Heaven, remember?"

Jiro snorted and turned away.

"Goku-san," said Sachiko, trying to lighten the mood, "how is it that you look so young? Were you…killed at an early age?"

Goku looked thoughtful for a moment before answering. "No…I was actually pretty old when I died for good. But when a person dies, Sachi-chan, and is allowed to keep his body, his body is restored to the point when it was strongest. That's why so many fighters here are young, or middle-aged."

"Oh…"

"Grandpa!" A young woman wearing an orange bandanna on her head rushed up to Goku and clutched his arm. "Geez, you frightened me when you just flew off with Pikkon like that! We were right in the middle of training!"

Goku grinned. "Sorry Pan-chan. But it was important. See for yourself." Goku gently pushed Sachiko into Pan's view. The young woman gasped and Sachiko, uncomfortable with Pan's reaction, leaned closer to Goku and hid her tail from view.

"Grandpa! She's a mess! And alive!"

"Well, she would have been dead if Pikkon and I hadn't saved her from Cell and Dr. Gero." Goku glanced at her blood-covered clothes and sighed. "She'll have to change, Pan. And a bath would be nice too…for her and me," Goku added, noticing his own sweat covered body.

"Huh. Well, who's this?" Pan craned her head to get a good look at Jiro.

"This is…Jiro. Ha! I remembered!" Goku cried in mock triumph. Pan shook her head at her elder's behavior and smiled at the teen.

"You don't look so hot yourself, little guy. How about we clean you up as well?"

Jiro's eye twitched at "little guy" and he turned to Pan with an icy look in his eyes. "I'm not a little guy," he snarled, "and I can take care of myself!"

"Yeesh! Grouchy!" Pan looked away from Jiro and focused on Sachiko. "So…let's get you some new clothes."

Sachiko pressed herself closer to Goku's leg, but Goku gave her a reassuring smile and slowly pushed her towards Pan.

Suddenly, King Kai ran out of the house he had stormed into only moments before, carrying a long bundle of white paper. The bundle was so long that occasionally the end of it fell to the floor and caused him to trip and fall on his face. Eventually, King Kai managed to stumble his way over.

"Goku!" King Kai yelled as he waved the paper in the air. "I found the reason! I found it!" He went over to Goku and shoved one end of the parchment in Goku's face.

"What is it?' Goku asked, staring at the bundle uncertainly.

"Read it you fool! It's a computer printout of your family tree!"

"They actually have computers up here?" Jiro asked.

"It was a recent installment," King Kai snapped as he undid the bundle and let it flow freely on the ground, letting the paper roll a good fifteen feet away. Everyone stared flabbergasted at the paper; it was almost as wide as it was long.

"Our family tree is this _big_?" Pan asked slowly. "How long have we been dead?"

"A good five hundred and fifty something years," King Kai replied as he inspected the end of the paper. His eyes searched wildly for a moment before he let out a cry of triumph. "Here it is! At the end! In the eighteenth generation of your family…and a definite descendant…there is Muzai Sachiko!"

Pan gasped while Jiro simply looked shocked. Goku and Sachiko, on the other hand, had simultaneous reactions.

"Cool!" Goku and Sachiko exclaimed. Then they cocked their heads. "What's that mean?" they asked at the same time.

King Kai's eye twitched for a moment. "That means," he said slowly, while trying not to get angry, "that Sachiko here is your…oh boy…great-great-great-great-great…oh, you get the idea…great-great-whatever granddaughter!"

Goku and Sachiko stared at each other before looking towards King Kai. "Really?" Goku asked. "You mean, I'm like a Grandpa to Sachiko?"

"That's kind of the idea," King Kai sighed, tossing the paper aside. "You got the general perspective of it, anyway…"

"Which side of the family is she from?" Pan asked, snatching the paper from the ground. "Mine and Trunks? Or Goten and Bra's?"

"Yours," King Kai said, and Pan let out a cry of delight.

"This is great!" she exclaimed as she took Sachiko's hands. "Oh, we are going to have so much fun! Just wait until I introduce you to Trunks. He'll go wild too!" Sachiko just nodded, not really knowing how to accept this sudden expansion of family. She noticed Jiro standing on the wayside, looking strangely out of place, and she felt ashamed for making him an outsider.

"But," King Kai continued, "this still doesn't explain why she has a tail."

"Why not?" Goku asked, confused.

"Because after almost six hundred years, the Saiyajin blood would be nonexistent! There shouldn't be enough blood for her to show _any_ signs of her Saiyajin heritage! This part I'm still confused about…"

Pulling away from Pan, Sachiko took a look at the paper. Scanning the bottom, she came across her name on the far right and looked at the names of the generation before her. Following the line from her name, she came across her mother's, Taka Muzai, which had a "deceased" sign next to it. And next to that name…was nothing. Just Taka Muzai. Sachiko looked up, startled. "Why isn't my father's name on the tree?" Sachiko asked, her voice filled with astonishment. Was she born by Immaculate Conception?

"The list only mentions the names of those who carry the bloodline," King Kai explained. "I didn't include the names of people who married into the family. If I did, the list would be over twice as long as it is now!"

Sachiko frowned, and scanned the right side of the list again. "That helps," she mumbled. So much for finding out information on her father…

"It was probably a crazy genetic reaction that caused her to have a tail," Pan said simply. "It's a miracle! Let's not spoil the moment!" She took Sachiko and led her away from the men. "C'mon, let's give you a bath."

"But…" Sachiko took another look at Jiro, who seemed to look even more lost as he watched her get half-dragged away by an ancestor whom she didn't even particularly warm up to. It was then she realized something.

Jiro didn't belong here. The only one he could relate to in Fighter Heaven was her.

And now they were being separated again, leaving him alone.

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

The first moment he got, Kargo explained everything to Dende, leaving absolutely no detail out. He mentioned the attack on the villages, its possible link to Capsule Corps., and Sachiko's strange physical appearance and abilities. That interested Dende the most.

"Hm…your suspicions may be right," he said. "She may be Goku's descendant. But to have Saiyajin symptoms after this long is a bit…unusual. She needs to be a bit more cautious in the future," he warned.

The topic then switched to the dragonballs, and Dende was less than eager at the thought of having the balls recreated on Earth. He explained the dangers, the threats, and the horrors of the black-star dragonballs. He told of the unwanted attention such gems could create, and of the unexpected rebellion of the previous dragon of the dragonballs. Kargo was a bit unnerved by the tales, but he refused to relent. (Although he agreed that he wouldn't make the balls so powerful that they would blow up the planet.) After much persuasion, Dende finally agreed to teach Kargo.

"You do understand, eh, _Kargo_…that learning how to make dragonballs may take at least a hundred days?"

Dende looked hard into Kargo's eyes, and Kargo nodded determinedly. Dende sighed and plopped down on the grass. "Well, let's begin then…you know how to mediate, right?"

Kargo nodded.

"Well, the first thing you need to do is clear your mind. You need to search within yourself, until you get a vision of your dragon."

"My what?" Kargo asked, his face lined with confusion.

"Your dragon," Dende explained. "When a Namek creates a dragon for the dragonballs, the dragon tends to represent a part of himself. That's part of the reason why the creator is spiritually linked to the dragonballs."

"But I read that your dragon looked the same as Kami's dragon."

Dende smiled bitterly. "That's because Goku wanted the dragonballs in a hurry after Kami fused with Piccolo—are you alright?" Dende asked, noticing that Kargo was suddenly twitching.

"Don't say that name," Kargo said, his eye still twitching. "My father's name is Piccolo…and I _hate_ him."

Dende looked startled at that statement; it was unnatural for a Namek child to speak of his elder in such a way. "Why?" he asked.

"Because he's a boring _son-of-a-bitch_, that's why!" Kargo screamed, his face contorting with fury. "Always telling me what to do, always thinking he's right! I hate him! I wish I never had to see him again!" In a rage, Kargo punched the ground nearby, creating a decent-sized crater in the ground.

"Calm down!" Dende cried, trying to restrain his descendant. "Look…why don't we go to the lake festival for today and start later? You need to calm down. At this rate, you're going to think of a medieval, fire-breathing dragon that'll devour everything in sight. C'mon…I'll walk you." He helped Kargo off the ground, and together they floated down the dirt path to the festival.

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

_O Most High, help to bring thy Light into the darkened conditions of the world…_

Night had fallen in the land of the dead, something that Sachiko found funny. She had washed the blood off her body and out of her hair and had changed into an orange and blue fighting gi like the one she wore back home. Sitting on the grass outside the North Quadrant faculties, she began to braid her dark blue tresses into one long plait, praying and at the same time, contemplating on what had happened so far.

_Be gracious to us thy humble servants and bless us with illumination…_

Goku and Pan had eagerly introduced her and Jiro to the other members of the "Son family," which included Gohan (Goku's first son and Pan's father), Goten (Goku's second son and Pan's uncle), and Trunks, who was Pan's husband. Sachiko liked his blue eyes; it was a bit like Jiro's, except that his looked sky-blue, not ice-blue.

_As to that which is Divinely relevant to the fulfillment of thy will! _

On the wayside, Sachiko and Jiro were also introduced to Krillen, Uub and Yamcha, all pure and powerful humans, but good friends with Goku and who had done many good deeds in their lives. Or so they said…

_O Most High, inspire thy servants throughout the world…_

Throughout it all, Sachiko couldn't help but feel that Jiro was uncomfortable here. No, not uncomfortable. Frustrated and irritated. Throughout introductions, Jiro was cagey, rude, and refused stray far from her side. From his dirt-streaked face and his dust covered clothing, Sachiko saw that he hadn't taken up the offer of the bath. His stubbornness was beginning to annoy her, yet at the same time it made her pity him. His pride was both admirable and detestable at the same time.

_To further efforts towards leading back thy children who are led astray to the right way…_

And it wasn't as if she could entirely blame him, either. Sure, she liked _Goku_. He and Pikkon-san were almost like…fathers to her, and for one reason or another, she liked them and felt comfortable with them. But the rest of his family…was another story. She liked Pan well enough, and was willing to spend _some_ time with her. Gohan too, seemed okay, though kind of wimpy. Goten, Trunks, Uub, Krillen, and Yamcha, however, held no interest for her. Sure, they were nice, but her attention lingered every time she heard them speak. It seemed that every time they spoke, all of her grandfather's lectures would resurface in her mind, about how the terrible city people would try to corrupt her. She tried to avoid them when she could, like she was doing now as she sat outside, braiding her hair.

_And to live and act on the faith of what has been taught by the great founders of the religions…_

Of course, praying right now wasn't such a bad idea. Geez, she was going to fall behind at this rate.

_Bless all spiritual leaders with thy power and enable them to give help, joy, comfort and reassurance to those suffering, to whom they minister!_

"What are you doing out here?" Goku asked as he sat down next to her. "It's almost dinner time!"

"I'm braiding," Sachiko replied as she tied the end of the plait with a small red ribbon that Pan gave her. She tossed the braid to the back of her head and gave Goku a worried look. "Goku-san…"

"Hm?" Goku looked down and smiled. "What's up?"

"I…I…never mind." Sachiko lowered her gaze from his face. "It's nothing."

"What's wrong?" Goku took her chin and raised her face so that they were looking at each other eye to eye. "C'mon…out with it."

"I…I…I'm worried about Jiro," she said quickly. That wasn't exactly what she was originally going to tell him, but the problem with Jiro worried her nevertheless. "He seems so…unhappy here."

Goku sighed and released her chin. "I know. He wouldn't leave your side, and he wouldn't really talk to anyone else…He kinda reminds me of someone I know…I finally got him to take a bath, though," Goku added, smiling wistfully.

"I wonder if there's anyway I could make him feel better?" Sachiko pondered. "I know he likes fighting…he has a private training room back on Earth…"

"He likes to fight?" Goku exclaimed. "Then we can all have a sparring match this week! What about you? Do you like to fight too?"

"Of course! But I have problems flying though…and Jiro doesn't even know how to use ki!"

Goku stared at her, flabbergasted. "You're kidding! Gohan at your age was on his way to becoming a Super Saiyajin already!"

Sachiko tilted her head. "A…what?"

"Oh boy…we have a lot of work to do. But don't worry, Sachi-chan," Goku said, giving her his goofy grin. "You'll get it. I can feel it."

"I can't wait." Sachiko got up and mirrored Goku's grin. "We're gonna train like there's no tomorrow! Wait a minute." Sachiko sniffed the air, and her eyes widened. "Oh gods…"

"What is it?' Goku asked, sniffing the air with her.

"I…smell…PORK BUNS!"

Goku hardly had time to blink before Sachiko sped back into the large building, leaving him behind with only her afterimage. Goku chuckled as he stood up, but as he did, he caught sight of a towel-clad Jiro by the doorway, after having been pushed aside by Sachiko in her haste to get the pork buns. Goku saw a sad, almost pained look in his eyes as he watched her fly by without noticing him…and Goku's blood ran cold when Jiro caught him looking, and gave him a spine chilling glare.

This was not a boy to mess with.

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

The North Quadrant fighters knew that the cafeteria served dinner at seven, but they didn't get there until they were certain that Goku and his family had already eaten, the case being that Goku and his family ate more than the whole quadrant put together. After Goku and his family were done, the cafeteria workers would then serve another meal for the rest of the quadrant fighters, and they could then eat without worrying about Goku's gargantuan appetite.

The rumors of Goku's supposed descendant had a few fighters curious enough to peek into the cafeteria early, and to their shock, the small girl ate just as much as her ancestor, if not _more_. Bowls of rice were piled high towards the ceiling as Sachiko ate at lightning speed, contrasting to the dwindling pile of pork buns set before her, which she wouldn't let anyone touch.

"Ouch!" Goten yelped as Sachiko swatted his hand away from her pork bun pile. He frowned and tried again, with the result of her trying to bite his hand. "Geez! I just want one!" he cried, moving his hand away just in time as Sachiko tried to sink her teeth into his flesh again. Jiro, who had changed into a training gi like Sachiko's, gently tugged on her arm.

"Can I have one?" he asked. Sachiko graciously passed him one, making Goten fume.

"How come you gave him one?" Goten yelled. "I'm your _ancestor_!"

"I don't like you as much," Sachiko replied simply, and ate another spoonful of rice as Goten's face turned red. Ignoring him, Sachiko turned to Jiro and playfully ran a hand through his still-damp hair. "Jiro, your hair isn't spiky anymore! What happened?"

"I keep my hair up with gel," Jiro murmured, moving away from Sachiko's touch.

"So Sachiko," Gohan said quickly as Sachiko and Goten glared at one another, "I heard from Pan that you're a miko."

"Mhhm," Sachiko nodded as she swallowed her rice. "I am to be the next priestess of the Amaterasu shrine." She stopped at that, and put her chopsticks down. "Well," she said quietly, "I suppose I am the _current_ priestess of the shrine now…"

"Why? What happened?" Goten asked, swiping a pork bun when Sachiko wasn't looking. Pan and Goku suddenly made motions for Goten to be quiet, and Jiro choked on his pork bun. Sachiko's eyes turned watery, but she managed a smile nonetheless.

"Grandfather and Okaasan were killed," she said in a quivering voice. "Therefore the shrine is my responsibility now."

"You mean you're going to look after a shrine by yourself?" Trunks asked in disbelief. "That's taking a lot of responsibility for one your age. You just got over this tragedy…"

"I have the villagers to help me," Sachiko insisted, taking a sip of water. "They are always willing to help."

"What villages?" Trunks asked.

"There are feudal-type villages all over the forest now. Many of them are located near the shrine."

Trunks looked at Pan in confusion. "There weren't any shrines or villages in the forest back then."

"These villages were created by people who dislike the technological cities," Sachiko explained, not looking at Jiro as she said this. "They believe that the world is getting polluted by all this increasing technology, and that one day it will destroy them all."

"Sounds like a sci-fi movie plot," Goten said, laughing. He stopped when he saw Sachiko's angry glare.

"I believe there is a limit to how much technology we can use," she said, her voice rising steadily. "Technology is what destroyed the villages, and is what caused my family's death."

"Well maybe," Jiro said, his own voice rising in irritation, "the villagers wouldn't have died if they had protected themselves with some of the technology they despised so much."

"If the world just rid itself of technology, then there would be nothing to hate," Sachiko said in a tight voice, her eyes narrowed with anger.

"What would you know? I bet if you had the chance, you'd have us all living in caves!"

"Calm down!" Goku, the referee, pulled Sachiko and Jiro away from each other. "You two are friends! Friends shouldn't fight like this!"

"Whatever," Jiro muttered. He stood up and began to walk away. "I'm full. Goodnight."

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

Jiro stared at the ceiling. He and Sachiko had been given bunk beds, him on top with Sachiko on the bottom. Jiro listened to her quiet breathing and thought of the day's events. Sachiko was the girl of the hour here; descendant of an obviously loved man, and thus, she was loved much in return.

And him? He was tossed off to the side, mentioned only as an afterthought.

It wouldn't have been so bad if Sachiko had just stayed with him, but she shoved him aside at dinner for a couple of pork buns. And gods, did she _eat_. She ate more than his whole family! Come to think of it, Goku and his whole freakin' family ate more in one sitting than his whole family did in a year! He would have actually found it _funny_ if he hadn't been so angry.

And then Sachiko had the nerve to trash-talk technology, when she knew his company was _based_ on technology. Heck, it was fucking technology that would allow her to find the dragonballs! How dare she trash-talk it like that! Little bitch…

He suddenly found himself thinking about Vegeta.

Ass as he was, Jiro had fun pissing Vegeta off, and Vegeta seemed to like the mind games they played on one another. Even though Vegeta was in Hell, it seemed better than _this_.

He didn't want to leave Sachiko behind though. He would wait a few days, and see if the situation got any better. Anyway, Goku's family promised both him and Sachiko lessons on how to improve their fighting, and he did not want to miss this.

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

Days flew by, and Sachiko eventually lost track of time. She had spent much time with Goku, learning how to control and manipulate her ki to a greater extent (although he had been slightly impressed with her ki-focused punches and kicks) and she had even managed to copy his signature move, the Kamehameha Wave. A weak, pathetic excuse for a copy it was, but still a copy. Of course, it hadn't been easy…

"Okay Sachi," Goku said as she sat patiently on the ground, "I want you to focus all of your ki into one ball using both hands."

Sachiko did just that. On the sidelines, Pan and Gohan stopped their sparring and began to watch her instead.

"Now I want you to draw your hands back to one side, like how I'm doing." Goku demonstrated the position, and Sachiko followed him.

"Now, I want to expel that energy into a beam. You have to picture it in your mind, and have total synchronization in your mind and body. And you have to shout out these words. Ka….Me…Ha…Me…HA!" Goku thrusted his hands forward, and a large, bright blue beam ejected from his hands off into the distance. "Now you try," he said to Sachiko.

Sachiko gulped nervously, but drew her arms back and chanted quietly, "Ka…me…ha…me…ha!" She threw her arms forward like Goku did, but all that came out of her hands was a bright blue ball that sank straight to the ground…and exploded.

After that, Pan and Gohan stopped watching. It took Sachiko about twelve more tries before she stopped exerting balls and started to shoot beams instead.

"Okay…that's enough beams for today," Goku panted, wiping the dirt and black soot off his face. "Let's try some maneuvering. Sachi, I want you to try to catch me." With that, he sped off, and Sachiko wasted two seconds blinking before she caught on and ran top speed after him.

"Aww, is that all Sachi-chan's got?" Goku taunted as she leapt forward to catch him and ended up smashing into a tree instead. When she peeled her face away from the bark, she growled and gave chase to him again. Goku laugh and ran on ahead, but Sachiko aimed a quick ki blast near his feet that made him trip and land flat on his face.

_I got you now!_ Sachiko lunged forward to grab him, but before she did, Goku was on his feet and into the air, and all Sachiko got was a mouthful of dirt and grass as she crashed onto the ground again.

"Pwwft! No fair!" Sachiko screamed as she spat out the clumps of dirt and grass. "You know I can't fly!"

"You have to learn sometime!" Goku called from above. Sachiko let out a scream of fury and stomped on the ground, not caring now childish she looked. Closing her eyes and focusing every bit of energy she had in her body, she floated up slowly until she felt that was level with Goku.

"That's good!" She heard him say. "Now open your eyes and we can continue!" Sachiko did just that…and looked down.

"WAAAAAAAHHH!" Sachiko screamed as she fell towards the ground, her arms and legs flailing.

"Sachi!" Goku yelled. "Focus your ki!"

_Focus my ki? I'm gonna crack my skull!_ Sachiko continued to scream as she tried to slow her descent. As the ground came closer, Sachiko managed to curve her way back up into the air almost vertically.

"That's good!" Sachiko heard Goku yell. "That's g—no! That's bad!" Sachiko began to descend again, and before she hit the ground she managed to curve back up. Up and down…up and down…

"Help me!" Sachiko shrieked as she began to fall, this time for good. She saw the grass coming head-on and she closed her eyes, waiting to the pain…

…which was interrupted by a familiar pair of strong arms. Sachiko opened her eyes and found herself staring at Pikkon's smiling red eyes.

"Pikkon-san!" she exclaimed, and hugged him around the neck. "You're my green knight in shining armor! Not like Goku-san!" Sachiko pretended to glare at Goku, who flew down to them. Pikkon shook his head and set her on the ground.

"And I thought you were better with children," Pikkon joked. Goku laughed nervously, then looked around.

"You shouldn't be here, you know," Goku said seriously. "King Kai's a bit frantic these days, especially since the Tuna Fish Mayhem…"

"Ugh…don't remind me," Pikkon groaned, his face turning even greener. "I don't think I'll ever look at tuna casserole the same way again."

"You should go," Goku said.

Pikkon frowned. "I just came here to say hi to Sachiko. I promised her I'd visit, didn't I?" Pikkon looked expectantly at Sachiko, who nodded, then frowned.

"Pikkon-san," she said as she put her hands on her hips, "I want you to beat up Goku-san for making me try to fly when he knows I stink at it! I'll be cheering for you all the way!"

"You really want me to do that?" Pikkon said, grinning slightly. Goku looked startled, although his eyes were laughing.

"I'm your ancestor, Sachi-chan!" Goku said in mock hurt. "You're supposed to be on _my_ side." In response, Sachiko stuck her tongue at him, and Pikkon chuckled.

"Hey Pikkon," Goku remarked, "you _chuckled_."

Pikkon stopped, his face turning into stone. "So?"

"You almost _never_ chuckle. And come to think of it, you rarely grin either, unless you're fighting."

"_So_? It's your descendant's little effect on me."

Goku scratched his head a moment, then smiled. "Well, Sachi-chan is hard to hate. Even Goten can't hate her."

Pikkon snorted, then bent down so that he and Sachiko were at eye level. "Since Goku here stinks at teaching you how to fly—"

"Hey!"

"How about I teach you instead?" Pikkon continued. Sachiko's eyes sparkled.

"Really? You'd teach me? I mean, you'll _really_ teach me, right? Not just toss me in the air and expect me to float." Sachiko folded her arms and Pikkon smiled.

"Nah. I'll _really_ teach you."

"Yay!" Sachiko grabbed Pikkon's hand and reached over to take Goku's. "Now I have the two strongest people I know as my _sensei_! This is the greatest day of my life!"

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

"This is the worst day of my life," Kargo grumbled.

"I told you to clear your mind, didn't I?" Dende reprimanded. "If you don't, you're going to get distracted by images generated from your worst fears!"

"Excuse me for continuously seeing my father's head on a dragon's body!" Kargo snapped. "He hasn't exactly been a comforting presence in my life…"

Dende sighed. "Kargo, if you ever want to get this right, you have to get a complete vision of your dragon. It's the only way to start."

"You think I don't know that?" Kargo snapped. "That's the only thing you've been saying for the last couple days! I get it, okay?"

"Is everything alright?" Videl asked, floating over to them.

"Peachy," Kargo mumbled. "Just peachy." He floated downward and closed his eyes. _Clear your mind_, he thought. _You have the dragon's body_._ Kind of fat…medieval looking…even has wings…now all you need is the head._

His spirit sank when he saw his father's head emerge from the darkness.

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

Jiro sat cross-legged on the grass, his face contorted with effort, his hands cupped and on his lap. Sweat poured down his face as he tried to get a ball of ki to appear, but after what had to be the hundredth effort, he failed to get even a spark of ki to form.

"Fuck this!" he yelled and stood up, marching towards where he knew Sachiko would be praying.

On the first day of training, he and Sachiko had trained together, for her ancestors assumed that they were on similar levels. But when it was clear that Sachiko had a better knowledge of ki manipulation than he did, as well as the ability to fight physically, they separated them. For the last several days Jiro had been stuck with Trunks and Goten, trying to make sense of what ki was and how to use it. Needless to say, every word they said went in one ear and out the other.

Jiro had also noticed that in the middle of the day, training or no, Sachiko would rush off to her "Little Place of Prayer," which consisted of a tree, with a mirror in front of it. Sachiko said that the mirror was a representative of the goddess Amaterasu, but Jiro didn't really care as he stomped next to Sachiko, who had just finished singing.

"Hey Jiro," she greeted politely. They had been on edge with each other since their argument, and this stung Jiro a bit more than he felt it should have. But he brushed it off and hoisted her off the ground by one arm. "What're you doing?" she asked, startled.

"We're getting out of here," Jiro muttered as he half-dragged her to the Grand Kai's palace. "I can't stand it here."

"But we were told to stay here!" Sachiko protested, and yanked her arm out of his grip. "And I like it here," she added.

Jiro stared at her in disbelief before his face twisted into a sneer. "Of course you'd like it here," he remarked. "You're the golden girl. Everyone loves you. Why should you leave the comfort of your precious ancestors, for a friend who's suffering through Hell?"'

Sachiko gasped at his words. "Jiro…"

"Sachiko! I know these two guys in Hell. One's a freak like Kargo, but he's okay, and there's one called Vegeta. He's a jerk, but I think he'll look after us and teach us better fighting techniques until Kargo gets back from Civilian Heaven. Well, Vegeta may not like the idea of taking both of us, but I'll make him see things my way."

"Jiro, are you insane?" Sachiko cried. "What if you get caught? The Grand Kai will throw us all out! And going back to HFIL? _Are you out of your mind?_"

"You're out of your mind if you want to stay here!" Jiro yelled, grabbing her shoulders and shaking her. "These people—how can you stand them? So happy and lost in their own little world…"

"I'm not going," Sachiko said, trying to keep her voice steady. Jiro stared at her again before scowling and releasing her

"Fine," he muttered. He shoved her aside and continued to walk towards the Grand Kai's palace. "Do whatever you want."

Sachiko straightened herself and stared at Jiro's retreating back. "Jiro…"

"I said do whatever you want bitch! If you want to help me so much, cover for me or something!"

Sachiko gasped at the word he used to call her, and immediately felt her eyes tear up. She turned around and ran back towards the prayer site. Praying would get rid of these conflicting emotions.

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

Jiro continued on to the Grand Kai's palace, and quietly snuck inside to the room where he had seen the large, car-like chair. He cautiously peeked inside to see if anyone was in there; the room was empty. Even Kargo's body was gone, just as the Grand Kai promised.

_Perfect…_

Jiro hopped onto the chair and flipped open the empty compartment he had seen before. His eyes fell upon several buttons, all labeled with tiny little letters almost impossible to see. Jiro squinted, and finally found a button that had _two_ labeling; "Hell" was crossed out with what appeared to be a black marker pen and the letters "HFIL" was written next to it.

Just what problem did the people up here have with saying the word Hell?

Jiro pressed the "HFIL/Hell" button, and a trapdoor immediately opened a few feet away. Jiro hesitated for a moment. He had no idea where this trapdoor would lead to in Hell, and he had no idea how he was going to find Vegeta when he got there without attracting attention from freaks like Frieza.

But the alternative, of course, was staying here.

Jiro only hesitated a second longer before flinging himself down the trapdoor. Immediately, his senses were numbed, and he heard, saw, and felt nothing as he tumbled down the trapdoor into nothingness. Jiro welcomed this strange sensation; he felt better then he had in days. But it didn't last long.

He saw a light at the end, and a moment later he tumbled onto something in the familiar surroundings of Hell. This "something" was too soft to be the ground, but too hard to be a pillow, so…

"Get off me brat!" a gruff voice yelled from underneath him, and Jiro immediately scrambled off a very disgruntled Vegeta. The man brushed himself off and turned to Jiro, his eyes narrowed, then widening at the sight of the teen. "What are you doing here?" he asked, astonished. "I thought Kakarrot took you home!"

"Yeah, well," Jiro shrugged. "I'm stuck in Otherworld until that freak friend of mine learns how to make dragonballs from some dead guy called Dende."

"Okay…you lost me there," Vegeta muttered.

"But I thought," Jiro continued, "that since I'm stuck in Otherworld, I might as well learn the best techniques from a…semi-cool jerk like you."

Vegeta's eye twitched at the insulting complement, and he yelled, "What makes you think I'm going to waste my time teaching a human spawn like you? Especially one who doesn't even know how to defend himself from simple ki blasts? You must be trying to add insult to injury!"

Jiro snarled for a moment, before his lips curved into a smirk. "Fine. If you want Goku's new pupil to get stronger every day, then go ahead."

"What did you say, brat?" Vegeta snapped.

"Didn't you know? Goku has a new pupil…my ten-year-old friend and…rival." Jiro finished, letting the last word roll off his tongue. "I tried training with Goku, but it's obvious he favors Sachiko more, so—"

"Wait a minute," Vegeta interrupted. "He's training a girl-child over you?"

"Did I stutter, oh mighty lord?"

"_Prince_."

"Whatever. But since you're not willing to train me…" Jiro walked away slowly. _One…two…three…_

"Hold it brat," Vegeta said, grabbing Jiro by the scruff of his collar. "I don't want Kakarrot to train some wench who didn't even face off against Frieza. I'll be willing to show you a move or two…but—" Vegeta smirked wickedly, "—I am not a patient teacher."

Jiro answered with a smirk of his own. "I never asked you to be."

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

**Jiro: While I try to train with Vegeta without getting caught, Sachiko is mastering the skill of flying. Ha! Like she'll succeed! Everybody's gonna be too busy with that tournament coming up! And Kargo…well, he's finally got the picture of the dragon on his head…but now he has to actually make the balls…Hello! Is that your Dad I see with Emma-sama, Kargo?**


	11. His Name is Insumo

Disclaimer: Don't own DBZ.

A/N: Ninety-eight percent of the information I wrote about Ki is taken from the "Ki Manual" written by the Skull Kid. He said that everything he wrote was fake info, but since this is a fanfic, I don't really give a damn…unless it involves real stuff like the Shinto religion. Then I research like hell.

Thanks much to those who reviewed.

**_Chapter Eleven: His Name is Insumo_**

"_Have you completely lost your mind?"_

Piccolo stared at the two beings in front of him in complete disbelief. His eyes went back and forth between the former prince of Saiyajins to the human teenager, both who wore looks of irritation and frustration at his refusal to go along with their plans.

"Look," said Jiro, "we aren't asking for much. We're just asking you to cover for us in case anyone from the higher-ups happens to…eh…drop by."

"In other words, we want you to keep your mouth shut about the brat," Vegeta restated. Jiro glared at him.

"I have a name, jerk," he said angrily.

"I'll use it when I see fit."

"Why you arrogant son of a—"

"Enough!" Piccolo yelled, startling the two males into silence. He rubbed his temple and growled. "I refuse to go along with this Vegeta. The child sneaking down here was risky enough. If we get caught trying to _keep_ him down here, there will be dire consequences. We have to send him back."

Vegeta snorted. "Don't tell me you actually believe their pathetic little threats? There's nothing more they can do to us. We're _dead_, in case you haven't noticed."

"There are worse fates than death! Agh! Why am I even talking to you? I'll handle this myself!" Piccolo turned his back to the others and began to walk away, unaware of Jiro taking a small metal ball out from under his shirt. "You may be willing to have us reset, but I'm—HEY!"

The metal ball bounced off the back of Piccolo's head and in seconds large, mechanical, spider-like legs emerged from the ball, curling themselves around his head, his torso, and his legs. Piccolo twisted around for a moment before he toppled to the ground, writhing and thrashing helplessly as Jiro looked down with a smug smirk on his face.

"What the heck did you do to me!" Piccolo screamed from between the metal legs. "Get this thing off of me—NOW!"

"What, no please?" Jiro asked mockingly as he stepped around Piccolo's struggling form. "You really ought to work on your manners…and there's no use struggling. This little contraption was made from reinforced and altered titanium alloy. You _can't_ break it."

Vegeta chuckled. "I wouldn't be so sure..,"

"It was tested by Capsule Corps itself!" Jiro snapped, giving Vegeta a cold glare. It was unnoticed by the older man, however, who was suddenly more interested in the last statement.

"Capsule Corps still exists?" Vegeta asked, his eyes widening in shock. Jiro dropped the cold look and slowly nodded.

"My folks run the place," he said. "They plan on passing it to me when I'm old enough."

"Brat, are you familiar with the name, 'Bulma Briefs'?"

Jiro gave Vegeta a blank stare.

"Okay...does your company still make a gravity room?"

Another blank stare. "…What the fuck are you talking about?"

"Never mind…"

"Someone mind getting me out of this thing?" Piccolo yelled from his position on the ground.

"Hm? Oh yeah. I forgot about you." Jiro bent down and gave Piccolo a smirk. "We'll get you out of there…soon enough."

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

"I hate you Jiro Kutai! I hate you with all my heart!"

Sachiko angrily piled a heap of clothing on the top bunk bed, and covered the piles with several bed sheets. She stuck two boots out of the sheets near the end of the bed, and stepped away to review her work. All in all, it resembled a sleeping body.

Hopefully she could pull this off.

After their latest argument, Sachiko had been upset for the rest of the day, something that was immediately noticed by Goku, Pikkon, and the rest of her "family" members. When they tried to ask what happened, she repeatedly told them that she was tired and wished to rest. While everyone else seemed satisfied with that response, she wasn't entirely sure if Goku and Pikkon bought the excuse.

What really set her on edge, though, was when anyone asked for _Jiro_. Lying just wasn't in her nature, and every time she told them that he was just exploring the planet and wouldn't be back until night (which was semi-true, since she did she him last wandering off to the Grand Kai's palace), she felt a nauseous feeling in her gut whenever she said those words.

But even though lying made her sick to her stomach, telling the truth was out of the question. She had no delusions about the Grand Kai. She had a gut feeling that if he found out that Jiro was in Hell again, he would send them all back to Earth sooner than one could say, "Amaterasu". And somewhere deep inside, she had felt that Kargo was not done with his own quest of learning how to make the dragonballs.

_Hopefully_, she thought as she stepped out of the room and closed the door, _I can stall long enough for Kargo to learn the basics. Agh! Jiro! Why do you have to complicate things?_

"Squirt! It's time for dinner!" Trunks said as he passed by. Sachiko nearly jumped out of her skin at the sound of his voice, but caught herself in time and gave him a nervous smile.

"I'll be right down," she said in a would-be calm voice. "And don't call me _squirt_, please."

"Say, where's Jiro?" Trunks asked, and Sachiko felt her stomach churn again.

"H-he's not hungry," Sachiko stammered, trying to maintain a cool composure. "H-he said he's g-g-going to s-sleep."

Trunks stared at her in disbelief. "He's sleeping _now_? I don't believe it." He tried to open the door to the room, but Sachiko stepped in his way and gave him an angry glare.

"We can't disturb him!" Sachiko said in a shaking, angry voice. "He gets really cranky of you wake him up, and he becomes a total…not…nice…person if he gets all cranky!"

"Isn't he already a total…not…nice…person?" Trunks asked, but let the door be. Instead he placed a hand on her shoulder and began to walk her down to the cafeteria. Sachiko was a bit surprised by this action, but said nothing. He was an ancestor, after all…though not one she was particularly interested in. For a while, they continued to walk in silence. "How come you don't like Goten and me?" he asked suddenly.

Sachiko was so startled by the question that she nearly got whiplash from snapping her head upward to look at Trunks. His blue eyes met Sachiko's gold ones and for a moment she felt ashamed by the hurt she saw in them. "I don't know," she blurted. "I really don't know. It's not you…either of you. It's me."

Trunks grinned bitterly at her statement. "You don't know how many times I've said that when I was alive. And because I've said it so many times, I know that that's not true. Now out with it. What don't you like about us?"

"…"

"Come on Sachiko."

"Well…" Sachiko looked down and moved away from his hand. "You guys…are city people."

Trunks raised a questionable brow at that statement. "Excuse me?"

"I'm sorry, but…you guys are the kind of boys that Grandpa told me to always stay away from. I'm not supposed to talk to city people. He says that they'll lead me astray from the path of the gods. Jiro's really the only person I got to know from the city, and even then I know that grandfather will be angry at me for being friends with him."

Trunks blinked. "Sachiko, that's…that's not very nice. Not all city people are bad. I mean, look at how you're friends with Jiro! And I certainly haven't treated you badly, have I?"

"Oh, I didn't mean that you were bad!" Sachiko cried, looking up at her ancestor apologetically. "I just—I mean, my grandfather is the smartest person I know, and I just can't believe that he'd tell me something wrong! Not that you're wrong either, Trunks-san, because I really do think you and the other city people are nice, but I just—I can't disobey my grandfather, and the village life is really all I know, and—and—" She sputtered, before she hung her head and sniffed. "I don't know now. I'm just really confused."

"Shhh…" Taking her hand and giving it a comforting squeeze, Trunks ushered her into the cafeteria and grabbed two plastic blue trays. "Don't cry, kiddo. I didn't mean to make you upset."

"I know."

"I don't want you to disobey your grandfather. I want you to be comfortable. But at the same time, all I'm asking is that you give me and Goten a chance okay? I mean, we're all dead up here, so you're technically not _really_ talking to city people, right?" Trunks gave her a toothy grin, and Sachiko thought for a moment before her eyes lit up with excitement.

"Hey, you're right!" she exclaimed, her mood brightening even more as one of the cafeteria workers dumped a large amount of rice on her tray. "I'm not really breaking Grandfather's rules after all! This is so COOL!"

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

"This is not what I meant!"

Piccolo thrashed wildly as Jiro and Vegeta dragged him to the back of the cavern inside Needle Mountain. After debating for hours where to stash the Namek, both Jiro and Vegeta had agreed to hide Piccolo in one of the caves located on Needle Mountain. No one in their right minds went there, and the cavern they selected was so high up and so large that even Piccolo's loudest screams wouldn't be heard. It was perfect.

"Don't worry," Jiro grunted as he carried Piccolo's legs through the cavern. "We'll visit once in a while and bring some supplies. I mean, we can't leave you here to dry up like an old, green patty, now can we?"

Piccolo snarled before screaming outright. "Dammit! Get me out of this thing now! Vegeta, I expected better from you!"

"Don't blame me, Namek," Vegeta scoffed. "You should have just agreed with the brat." He dumped Piccolo's upper body onto the ground, ignoring the Namek's grunt of pain, and began to head for the exit. "I think this is far enough, brat. Just drop him and let's go."

Jiro hesitated only for a moment before lowering Piccolo's legs on the ground. "We'll keep in touch," he said as he turned his back to Piccolo.

"Wait! You two can't leave me like this!" Piccolo cried, watching their retreating backs through the metal legs. "Hey! Get back here now! Kid! _Vegeta!_"

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

_There was a creature standing on its hind legs. The legs, the ones in the front and the ones it was standing on were think, stubby, and green. On the foot of each leg were three large, white claws that tapered off at the end. The legs supported a bulky green body that had a large patch of light yellow around the stomach. Large, fearsome wings sprouted from the back of the creature, looking more like devil's wings than anything else. Its long tail swished silently from behind, and from its torso, a long protruding neck was connected with…a Namek's head.  
_

Kargo slowly opened his heavily hooded eyes, one of which twitched unpleasantly. Dende, who had been observing him carefully, sighed and leaned back against the oak tree he was sitting under.

"Still see your father?" Dende asked. Kargo slowly turned his head towards his ancestor, almost in a robotic fashion. His eye continued to twitch, and Dende suddenly felt a twinge of panic.

"You know, maybe we should take a break," he said. "Let's go to and get a nice cold drink of water. That'll cool us down."

Kargo said nothing. His eye continued to twitch.

"Kargo?"

"…"

"Uh...Kar?" Dende slowly floated up and glided towards his descendant. "You alright?"

Kargo's eye twitched two more times before he spoke. "Why is it so hard? And don't call me _Kar_."

Dende blinked. Kargo's voice was so dry and raspy that it took him a while before the words made sense in his mind. "Why's what so hard? And when was the last time you drunk any water?"

"Two days ago."

"Oh my gods!"

"Answer my question!" Kargo rasped as he floated up. "Why am I blocked?"

"Something's bothering you," Dende explained. "A negative feeling is disturbing your meditation, and is preventing your mind from fully focusing. Look, you've made really good progress so far. It's only been twenty-five days since we started, twenty-six since we first met. But you've almost got a near perfect image of your dragon. For me, it would have taken at least forty days. You told me that you even knew what it _smelled_ like."

"Marshland and ashes," Kargo muttered. "But I keep seeing Dad's head…"

Dende sighed as they began to glide towards the lake. "I don't understand why you have such anger towards your father. This kind of hatred is unheard of on Namek."

"I've never been to Namek," Kargo wheezed. "I was raised on Earth…Piccolo, my father, tried to raise me to be a _stiff_ like him…eh, no offense," Kargo added when he saw Dende shoot an annoyed look his way. "But after I met Sachi-chan and Taka…well, I lost my taste for tradition."

"You told me about Sachiko," Dende said as they reached the lake. "That girl you're, eh, _friends_ with. Who's Taka?"

"Her mom," Kargo croaked. He stopped and glided over to the water's edge, bending down to the ground and scooping water into his mouth. He took several sips, and stopped for a moment to look at Dende. "I only met her twice," he explained, his voice now back to normal. "She was pretty cool, and very attractive by human standards. She was a lieutenant for the West City Police force."

"Really?"

"Also a total technology genius. Showed me a few gadgets, and I was H-O-O-K-E-D. But this clashed with Goushi's…eh…more traditional views." Kargo drank a few more handfuls of water before wiping his mouth on his sleeve. "They didn't get along at all. I remember Sachi used to get so sad every time they argued. But ironically they died together…although this didn't make Sachi any happier."

"Didn't make me any happier either," a feminine voice purred from behind the two Nameks. Kargo and Dende whirled around and saw a woman in a green halter top floating behind them. With the exception of her dark eyes, she looked like an exact, if not older, version of Sachiko.

"Taka-san!" Kargo exclaimed. Taka smiled, and the two gave each other a high-five, something that confused Dende. "I didn't think I'd find you here!"

"I didn't think I'd find you here either," Taka said, looking him over. "It's been so long…last time I saw you, you were six. You're getting pretty muscular there, sport!" Taka gave him a wink, and Kargo felt his cheeks grow hot.

"Uh…thank y—" Kargo began, but never finished due to an angry pair of red-rimmed eyes suddenly boring into his face. Kargo's jaw dropped. "Goushi-sama! You're here too?" Goushi didn't answer that; his face was red with anger.

"How the hell did you die?" he asked through gritted teeth. "I thought you and Sachiko were somewhere safe!"

"Err…well…" Kargo squirmed under the old man's furious stare. "Err…"

Taka's eyes widened suddenly with fear. "Oh gods," she gasped. "Don't tell me my baby's—"

"Sachi's okay," Kargo reassured her, though his voice was somewhat shaky. "And I'm not dead _per se_. This is only temporary."

Taka let out a huge sigh of relief at Sachiko's state of well being before she cocked her head in curiosity. "What do you mean by temporary?"

"It's a long story," Kargo replied. "But if things go according to plan, you guys are gonna come back to life."

"Really?" Taka smiled. "Good. It's boring up here anyway."

Goushi, however, didn't take the news as well as his daughter did. "I wouldn't tamper with life and death boy…and just _how_ are you going to bring us back? A better question: _Can_ you bring us back? And does your father even know you're up here?"

Kargo panicked slightly at all the questions before Taka elbowed Goushi in the stomach with a reprimanding glare. "For gods sakes old man, shut up! The kid's got a plan and I say let him go through with it! I mean, if he found a way to be temporarily dead, then I'm sure he can find a way to bring us back to life! Oh. Who's that?" Ignoring her father's cold glare, Taka's eyes fell on Dende, who blinked for a moment and looked away from her stare. "Did Piccolo die too? Huh…he looks wimpier than I remembered…didn't he have more muscles?"

All of the blood in Dende's face was drained as Kargo burst out laughing. Dende glared at his descendant, who tried to stop but only ended up laughing even harder than before.

"That doesn't _seem_ like Piccolo," Goushi said as he observed the Namek, all anger set aside for the time being.

"Did I say something wrong?" Taka asked, slightly bewildered by Dende's glare and Kargo's insane laughing. "Really, Piccolo, I don't mean to say you look bad. But I just think you lost a little too much weight over the past six years. I kinda liked your muscular build. It gave you a sexy look."

Goushi's face turned white as a sheet. Kargo had nearly suppressed his laughter, but Taka's last statement sent him over the edge and into hysterics. Dende's face turned pinched and purple at this and he stomped off in the opposite direction, away from Taka and the hysterical Kargo.

"D-dende, wait!" Kargo sputtered before choking on several more laughs. "Was…f-funny joke! Hahaha!" It took him several more minutes to calm down and stand up. "Aw man…I needed that laugh. That wasn't my dad, though. That was Dende."

"Oh crap," Taka cursed. "Who's Dende?"

"Another long story," Kargo said while keeping an eye on Dende, who was now sitting at the water's edge several feet away. "Taka-san, you thought my dad was _sexy_?"

Taka grinned. "Well, he did have a nice build…hey! You can't blame me for looking! The green makes him attractive. In a weird way."

"I don't know whether to laugh at that again or throw up," Kargo said, wiping some of the tears from his eyes.

"I vouch for throwing up," Goushi muttered.

"Watch it old man," Taka said in a warning tone before turning to Kargo. "How's my little Sachiko? Better yet, is she safe at home?"

"W-well," Kargo stammered, "she's _safe_."

"Good," said Goushi.

"But, eh, she's not at home."

"Not good." Taka frowned, and for a woman with a height of five foot two inches, she gave a very good impression of being tall and powerful, especially to Kargo. Of course, having an equally upset Goushi standing next to her helped greatly. "Where is she? At your father's?"

Kargo gulped nervously. "That's _another_ long story," he said as he slowly backed away from Taka and Goushi's scrutinizing stare. "Which I will gladly tell you…some other time!" With that, he sped off, grabbing an unsuspecting Dende by the collar and dragging him all the way back to the meadows in the process.

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

While watching a 31-33" television screen, the Grand Kai drummed his fingers on the armrest of his chair. Although one could not tell from far away, up close, his mouth was set in a thin, sour line, and no one dared to bother him at the moment.

The screen displayed three different pictures of three different children, all in very different _locations_. A Saiyajin-ish girl was praying in front of a mirror. A Namek boy was trying his best to meditate. And a teenaged human boy in _HFIL_ was trying his hardest to make a ki ball.

The Grand Kai watched the screen for a few more minutes before picking up the remote that had been resting on his lap and turning off the screen. "She's covering for him," he muttered.

"Uh, sir?" A servant slowly stepped forward. "Don't you think…we should tell the North Kai that the human boy is in HFIL?"

The Grand Kai hesitated for a moment. "No," he said slowly.

"_No_?" The servant stared at the Grand Kai, flabbergasted. "Sir, the boy is on dangerous grounds. He'll most certainly be killed!"

"You also forget that he's in, eh, _semi_-good hands. He's been with Vegeta and Piccolo for a while now, and he's relatively alright. Besides, both of those fighters have proven to be quite caring for children at some point in their lives. But—" the Grand Kai stared more closely at Jiro's part of the screen "—I haven't seen Piccolo for a while now…"

"But sir, Piccolo only cared about Gohan, and Vegeta only cared about his own children! They might…" The servant faltered off when the Grand Kai's mouth thinned even more.

"Sometimes," the Grand Kai stated slowly, "a curse to some may be a blessing to others, you know what I mean? I think it's good for the boy to be down there. He may unleash some potential that some are unaware of. And he might learn some humility while he's at it. Besides," the Grand Kai added while grinning, " I want to see how long the girl can keep fooling North Kai and his fighters. She's done a pretty good job so far. At this rate, she'll either crack and tell them herself, or she'll go insane by remaining quiet."

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

Sachiko's eyes opened just as the first rays of sunlight peeked over the horizon. She slipped quietly out of bed, washed and dressed as quickly as she could, and snuck almost soundlessly out of the room, keeping her ki at a bare minimum. She locked the door, making sure the "Do Not Disturb or ELSE" sign was up, and prayed that she wouldn't get caught as she snuck out of the North Quadrant facilities.

After agreeing to train her, Pikkon had arranged that they would meet at dawn, where they would have two hours to themselves before fighters from the other quadrants woke up. This way, they would avoid any strange gossiping and rumors that might arise from a situation like this. Friendly or not, people from one quadrant didn't normally teach people from another quadrant. The rivalry had gotten _that_ bad.

Pikkon's reputation became a problem, though. Because he was a "prized fighter", Pikkon sometimes didn't even have the two hours to be with her, because West Kai (Sachiko privately referred to him as the "purple midget") would often train him from dawn until dusk. At his best, Pikkon only got to see her two days a week. And she didn't know which two days. She would simply get up every morning and wait for him. If he didn't show, she spent the rest of the two hours praying before she trained with Goku on how to manipulate ki more effectively, and how to increase her maneuverability and agility.

Still, she liked the two days she spent with him. He was a different teacher than Goku or Goushi. He observed her, analyzed her style and movements and taught her alternate methods of how a certain technique was done, in this case, flying.

Who knew that positive thinking was the way to go?

Pikkon hadn't arrived yet. In nervousness, Sachiko formed three small, white ki balls in her hands, which immediately circled around her body in an ecliptic fashion. Her training with Goku had taught her that a lot of ki manipulation relied on emotions and visualization. But while he liked to use it offensively, Sachiko liked to use it in more tactical methods, though she never said that out loud. _One must always be respectful to his or her elders…_

She discovered that if she concentrated hard enough, the balls would spin faster and faster. It got to the point where it would spin so fast that it proved to serve as a minor shield for close combat or simple ki blasts, although it served useless against more powerful attacks like Goku's Kamehameha. She had learned that the hard way.

But, if she could increase the power in the ki balls, then maybe…

"Interesting technique you got there."

Sachiko turned towards the speaker and saw Pikkon standing not five feet away from her, looking somewhat pleased at her attempts. Feeling a wave of embarrassment flood over her, Sachiko dropped her efforts and watched the small ki balls disappear into thin air, as she mentally willed her face to lose its sudden red hue. "It was nothing," she said while staring at the ground. "It's just something I wanted to try."

"It looks like you can make a pretty decent ki shield," Pikkon said gently. "At my home planet, a child your age would be well praised for that."

Sachiko smiled in pleasure. "Thank you," she said quietly as she bowed down. Then she straightened herself and grinned. "But let's get back to flying! I've practiced at every chance I got! And I think I've gotten better…kind of."

"We'll see. Show me what you've got. And remember to stay positive."

Nodding, Sachiko took a deep breath and tried to think of something happy. For a moment she briefly thought of her family being reunited, and that got her a few feet off the ground.

_Stay positive_, she told herself. _Keep your eyes open. You can do this…nothing bad is going to happen. You are a balloon…a pretty yellow balloon…_

Her thoughts shifted to Kargo, and when they were younger. Visiting him had been the highlights of her childhood. He always had big ideas; partially because her mother had a big influence of his technology loving ways. Sachiko unknowingly floated a few more feet off the ground. Kargo…he had always been there for her.

Then her mind rested on Jiro.

_Oh gods…_

She hadn't heard from him in over a week. And during that time, she had been lying at every turn to her ancestors. Even Goku was beginning to suspect something. It might have been her imagination, but she felt that they were all giving her dirty looks when they thought she wasn't looking.

_It wasn't my fault!_

Sachiko began to lose her focus and sank slowly to the ground.

_I gave him what he wanted!_

She was dimly aware of Pikkon coming towards her, and was aware he was shaking her and saying something to her, but her mind wasn't done playing with her yet. She saw images of Jiro getting beaten to a bloody pulp at the hands of Cell. Jiro, crawling across the ground, searching for food and water…

_Jiro wanted this!_

Jiro lying on the on the blood-soaked ground, dust swirling around his rotting corpse. Jiro's blank, expressionless eyes staring out into nothingness…Jiro…Jiro…

"Sachiko!" With a shake that nearly sent her head flying off of her neck, Sachiko snapped out of her delirium, and stared into Pikkon's worried eyes. She blinked for a moment, trying to remember what she was supposed to be doing, and then lowered her head in shame.

"I'm sorry Pikkon-san. I was thinking negatively again."

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

"Ki is the life force energy that everyone has in them. Ki is in the air, earth, water, and us. Every living thing must have this to live."

Cross-legged on the ground, Jiro cupped his hands in front of his chest, and tried to will his _ki_, or whatever it was, into his hands. Gritting his teeth, his face slowly turned red as he tried to form a ball of ki between his slightly glowing hands.

Only one pathetic spark appeared.

"Idiot!" Vegeta snapped. Bending down, he leaned over and pushed Jiro's hands down until they were just below his belly. "This is your _Hara_, your source of power. It represents the center of your spirit, the center of your power, soul, and balance. From here—" Vegeta jabbed Jiro's stomach with a finger "—your ki is flowing throughout your body at all times, ready for you to use in whatever manner you wish."

Jiro looked from his hands to his stomach and growled. "Say something else, damn it!" he yelled. "That's all I've been hearing for the last eight days!"

"You think I'm enjoying myself?" Vegeta countered. "I'm getting frustrated just trying to teach you the basics! You can barely manipulate your ki enough to make a single ki ball! I am dreading the day when we learn how to fly! There is no way you can learn the advanced moves if you can't get past the basics!"

"I know where the fucking Hara is!" Jiro screamed, losing his temper. "I know that it's flowing through my fucking body! Stop breathing over my goddamn neck, just because I have a goddamn roadblock!"

"You don't even know the cause of your roadblock!" Vegeta yelled back. "I can sense that you could be a decent fighter, but your damn attitude is preventing you from reaching your full potential, you demon spawn!"

"What the fuck do you mean?" Jiro sneered. "And don't call me _demon spawn_, jackass!"

It happened in an instant. Jiro barely had time to blink before Vegeta's hand shot out and closed around his neck. Jiro choked; the older man had him in a vice-like grip and was showing no signs of letting up.

"I'm trying to understand," Vegeta hissed, "why I didn't let Frieza fry you when he had the chance. You are one of the most spoiled, arrogant, conceited brats I have ever encountered in my life. Even Kakarrot's brats were better behaved than you! Remind me." Vegeta's finger's tightened around Jiro's neck, causing the boy to choke and gasp for air. "Remind me why I am wasting my precious time training you." Jiro's face began to turn blue, and his hand hopelessly scratched the back of Vegeta's gloved one. "Remind me!"

Jiro's only response was a small gurgling sound; his windpipe was closing up, and fast. In disgust, the older man threw Jiro away from him. The teen fell hard on his rear on the dusty ground, his purple face slowly regaining its original color as he gasped and inhaled air back into his lungs.

"Weakling," Vegeta spat as he wiped his hand of the back of his pants. "Get out of my sight. I'm just wasting my time." Vegeta turned his back on Jiro, unaware of the boy's darkening glare and glowing hands. "My son, at age seven, could handle ki better than you can. What a disappointme—"

Vegeta was cut off when he felt something hot and painful slice into his back like a hot knife through butter. Vegeta choked down a scream that lodged in his throat and whirled around just in time to knock a blue ki ball out of the way. Vegeta looked up to see Jiro, his eyes narrowed, his hands glowing abnormally, with another ki ball growing at an alarming rate between them.

"Weakling, am I?" Jiro hissed, letting the ball grow even larger. "Can a weakling do _this_?" He hurled the blue mass towards Vegeta, who knocked it away again, this time with more effort.

What was happening? Had triggering the boy's anger done this?

Jiro stopped making ki balls, but his hands glowed as bright as ever. Before Vegeta knew it, the boy had flung himself towards him, punching and kicking the older man with ever bit of strength his body and anger allowed. While a normal human wouldn't have been able to _touch_ him, Jiro's ki-focused attacks were causing Vegeta discomfort.

_A lot_ of discomfort.

Vegeta snarled. A human brat making a mockery out of _him_? This was…unacceptable!

Making sure not to use too much power, Vegeta struck Jiro in the chest with an open palm, winding the boy but not breaking any of his bones. While Jiro was off guard, Vegeta then kicked him in the temple, knocking the teen to the ground and out of action.

Touching his torso to make sure the boy hadn't inflicting lasting damage, Vegeta stared at the unconscious boy now lying in front of him. An eye involuntarily twitched as he observed his pupil. The boy reacted to anger, as did his powers. But the boy had to be pushed beyond the edge for such powers to show. It left Vegeta feeling agitated…and very apprehensive.

This boy was a strange one.

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

Kargo's hooded, bloodshot eyes suddenly snapped open in the middle of his meditation. Dende stared at his descendant in alarm; he had been observing him all this time.

"Is something wrong?" Dende asked.

"Insumo," Kargo whispered.

"Excuse me?"

"That's his name," Kargo whispered excitedly. "I have the vision, I hear his voice…and I have his name." Kargo turned to Dende, a somewhat insane smile spreading on his face. "My dragon…his name is Insumo."

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

A Namek wearing a white and black gi stood in a long line of soul clouds, his green ears twitching slightly at every squeal the clouds made. A vein was throbbing in his forehead, and his jaw was clenched so tight that one could barely make out the words he hissed through his gritted teeth.

"Damn you Kargo…how could you do this to your own father?"

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

**Kargo: I thought this chapter was supposed to be longer? Oh well. In part two, the Otherworld Tournament begins, and Sachiko gets to see Goku and Pikkon pitted against each other. Wonder who she's going to cheer for? And Jiro can actually control ki to an extent…I can still kick his ass though. And now I have to make a model on Insumo…WHAT? EMMA-SAMMA IS LETTING DAD THROUGH? GODS DAMMIT, I HATE THAT SON-OF-A-ASEXUAL-NAMEK!**

**Sachiko: Turmoil-san is really sorry about taking so long with this chapter. She also apologizes for splitting it up into two parts, but she hasn't been herself lately.**

**Jiro: Once she gets over her bitchy problems, she'll be back to her normal bitchy self again.**

**Sachiko: JIRO!**

**Jiro: What? I'm just stating my mind…**

**Sachiko: Hm. Read and review, everyone!**


	12. Time's Up

Disclaimer: I do not own anything DBZ related. (Sniffs)

A/N: Thanks to all reviewers.

This chapter, originally part of the last chapter, had been altered to make it seem like an individual chapter. Thank you.

**_Chapter Twelve: Time's Up_**

Setting the last dozen plates of steaming hot food on the buffet table, the cafeteria workers all mopped their sweaty brows and let out several sighs of content.

"There! That should be enough for them," said one of the female workers. "Geez…with the way the Northern fighters eat, I was worried that we might not have enough food for everyone else."

One of the other workers snorted. "Who cares 'bout them? We're the ones who've been slaving our asses off all night, just so they can stuff their faces. I dunno 'bout you guys, but I'm gonna hit the sack."

"Yeah, good idea…"

One by one, the workers slowly left the arena, too tired and weary to notice a blue, hunched over, fish-like creature hiding in the corner. When he was sure that the last person was gone, he trudged out of the shadows and made his way over to the buffet tables, his eyes taking in every individual dish. "Okay," he said to himself in a raspy voice. "Now where did she tell me to pour this?"

From his pockets he pulled out a small vial filled with a clear, watery substance. Once again, his eyes roved over the table as he tried to find a food that Goku and his family _alone_ would eat. His eyes fell upon a particular dish that he hadn't seen before; they seemed to be small white balls that had a meaty smell coming off of them.

Knowing that most of South Quadrant's students were vegetarians, and that West Kai's men didn't normally eat much before a fight, the fish-like being knew that only Goku and his family would gobble up the food without a thought. He uncorked the vial and held it over the white, meat-scented balls, but he hesitated.

Despite the fact that Goku was an obvious threat to the victory of his quadrant, Goku was a very honest and admirable fighter. He held everyone with equal respect and regard, win or lose (though the man had yet to lose). Doing this, especially a second time, would most certainly scar the friendship Goku had with him and his quadrant members.

But then again…if he didn't do it, East Kai would make him run laps until he died…again. A bit strange that she wanted him to do this a second time, though…

Unwilling to make Goku go through the same pain twice, and to ease his own conscience, Arqua had diluted the liquid with water, so the effects wouldn't be _as_ severe. Still…

His scales glistening slightly with sweat, he took a deep breath and poured all of the vial's contents onto the hot white balls. The liquid soaked quickly into the food, leaving no trace of his handiwork.

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

"Let's go!"

Within the whitewashed halls of the Grand Kai's palace, Sachiko impatiently pulled on Goku's arm, trying (and failing) to get him to move faster than his shuffling, turtle-like pace as he sleepily rubbed his eyes.

"C'mon Goku-san," Sachiko said firmly as she went behind her ancestor and began to push him from the rear. "I want to be the first one to be at the arena. That way I can get a good seat, and maybe have a little practice-spar with you."

"Wha' time izzit?" Goku mumbled, still not completely aware of his surroundings. "I feel shweepy…"

"Goku-san!" Sachiko yelled, making Goku wince at the intensity in volume. "Today's the day of the tournament! You promised you'd take me early!"

"Okay…okay," Goku mumbled, yawning widely as he trudged on. He blinked a few times before he suddenly stopped, causing Sachiko to bump into his hindquarters headfirst.

"Ew…" Sachiko moved away furiously from behind her ancestor, only to find him sniffing the air intently, his eyes narrowed and focused. "What's wrong?" she asked.

Goku held one hand in the air to silence her, and grabbed her own hand with his other as he slowly pulled her through the halls, sniffing. Confused, Sachiko lifted her head slightly and began to sniff the air along with him. For a moment, she didn't smell anything other than whitewash. But then she caught a whiff of it…then two…she sniffed until the tantalizing scent hit her smack in the nostrils.

"Food," they whispered at the same time. Goku and Sachiko stared at one another for a moment, their eyes and smiles widening at the delicious morsels waiting ahead. Then, Sachiko's smile turned into a smirk, and she began to dash off towards the arena, leaving Goku with a trail of smoke.

"Hey!" Goku began to run after her, which proved to be surprisingly challenging at first; Sachiko's speed had increased greatly over the past several weeks. But in a matter of minutes, he outstripped her and began to run backwards, sticking his tongue out in a mocking manner. "Nyah, nyah!"

Sachiko's jaw dropped at this taunt. Now annoyed, she closed her eyes and gritted her teeth as she leaned forward, increasing her speed to her maximum. No way would she let him win after that!

Goku saw Sachiko's annoyed look and her desperate attempt to outrun him. Smiling, he slowed down just enough for her to whiz by him, with her eyes still closed. "Slow down Sachi-chan!" Goku laughed as she continued to run rapidly. "You're gonna run into a wall at this rate!"

Sachiko didn't hear him. All of her focus was on running as fast as she could.

"Sachi, slow down!" Goku cried. "Sachi—LOOK OUT!"

Sachiko's eyes burst open, and she caught a glimpse of what appeared to be a terrified blue fish with limbs that was trying unsuccessfully to run out of her way. Sachiko shrieked and leaped into the air just before impact, missing the creature by just a few inches. Now several feet above the air, Sachiko flipped so she was upside down, and saw the fish-creature hunched on the ground, his head between his knees, shaking.

"Gomen!" Sachiko apologized. Flipping again, she floated down as Goku reached the creature and helped him up.

"Are you okay, Arqua?" Goku asked as Arqua slowly stood up. The blue being nodded, through his body continued to tremble.

"I-I am okay, Goku," Arqua said in his raspy voice, not meeting the Saiyajin's eyes. "I-I will be g-going now."

Sachiko turned her attention away from the two men and looked at the stadium around her, this was her first time here, and she was amazed at how planets and meteors seemed to float around them, as if they were actually fighting in outer space. Goku had told her that there was actually a ceiling on the top, but it was so far away that it didn't matter. _Most_ of the time. Her attention turned back to her ancestor when she heard him whine.

"Aw, don't be a stranger!" Goku insisted. "We can have a quick spar before everyone gets here! And we can get a bite to eat too," Goku added as he eyed the buffet tables.

"NO!" Arqua yelped. Then, at seeing the confused reactions of both Saiyajins, he cleared his throat and said more calmly, "No. I am not hungry. I have to go. Perhaps we will fight later."

"Uh…okay. If you're sure you don't want to spar…" Goku gave Arqua a small smile, which the fish-like being didn't return. Without a word, he hurriedly walked out of the arena.

"He's weird," Sachiko said as she looked at his retreating back.

"Well…I guess he's a _little_ weird," Goku admitted. "But still, he's a decent fighter once he's underwater. Besides, you can't always judge a book by its cover."

"Uh-huh." Sachiko walked towards the buffet table and picked up two of the still steaming pork buns. "I wonder…why he was here so early, if he didn't want to spar?"

Goku shrugged. "I dunno. Maybe he wanted to eat?" He looked down at Sachiko, who was munching on her buns, and smiled. "You know, I noticed that you flew right over Arqua's head without hesitation. You've really improved on flying!"

"Mm?" Sachiko's cheeks bulged with food as she tried to talk. "Shank Piku-san, nuf tee. Ee esh un goof feefer."

Goku nodded, understanding her mumbling (being a food mumbler himself). "Yeah, but what about me? I'm a good teacher too, right?" Goku looked at her with puppy dog eyes, which Sachiko didn't notice due to her eating frenzy.

"Oo're goof poo," she mumbled through another bite. Goku smiled and tried to reach for a pork bun, but Sachiko slapped his hand away as she swallowed. "Mine," she said in a tone so flat that Goku didn't dare disagree with her. Instead, he reached for the scrambled eggs that were off to the side.

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

"Next!"

Another soul cloud went up to Lord Emma, causing the line to inch along. But between the forty-first and forty-third cloud was a black-and-white clad Namek. He stood as still as a statue, his face set in hard, thin lines that only served to increase the fury that his dark eyes held.

"Next!"

For almost a month he had searched all of Japan for his son, going to every place he thought of at first, then searching through them again countless times to make sure. But his search had only resulted in him finding out that a fourteen-year-old heir was missing from his home. While he didn't care about the human child, his panic increased when he realized that Sachiko was missing too. When he had gone to the Muzai house, he had discovered a small group of strangers who were staying at the shrine. While they insisted that they were not thieves, and that Goushi had told them to go there, they swore that they had not seen any Muzai family member since that horrible night. Piccolo left them in disgust, and told them to keep the place well-kept or suffer his wrath.

"Next!"

It wasn't until _yesterday_ that Mr. Popo had began a rant about how his ancestor Dende had come back to life, looking exactly like Kargo. This caught Piccolo's attention at once, and Mr. Popo continued by saying that this "Dende" had taken Sachiko and an unknown human boy with him to Otherworld.

"Next!"

Piccolo had never been to Otherworld, had no reason to go there and had absolutely no knowledge on how to get there. Fortunately, Mr. Popo rambled on, saying that he himself had taken Dende to Otherworld, for the Namek had claimed that he was low on ki.

"Next!"

It seemed impossible, for Piccolo didn't think his son was _that_ stupid, but obviously he was wrong, as the events seemed to coincide. After half-forcing Mr. Popo to take him to Otherworld (and half-forcing the genie to stay put outside the check-in station) Piccolo now stood on line with the squealing soul clouds, the squeals only increasing the anger that he held for his son.

"Next!"

Only thirty-six more to go.

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

_Ugh. I don't feel so good._

One hour and forty-two pork buns later, the stadium was beginning to fill up. Sachiko saw the Western fighters enter with West Kai, and sluggishly gave Pikkon and Refi a small wave as they passed. Pan and Trunks had already arrived, though their entrance was that of Pan dragging him to the arena by the ear.

"Couldn't we have stayed in bed for twenty more m-m-minutes?" Trunks pleaded, trying to stifle a yawn. "We have super speed anyway. We can just get dressed and run here in less than a minute."

Pan frowned and pointed to Sachiko, who was turning a bit green. "You see that child?" she hissed. "She and my Grandfather woke up early to have some extra training time together. That's what I like to call _dedication_."

"You're not even going to fight! Why drag me into this?"

"TRUNKS!"

"Okay, okay…I'll be in the bathroom." Trunks turned and left, but not before ruffling Sachiko's hair affectionately before he left. Sachiko didn't notice though. She was suddenly feeling lightheaded…

"Where's Gohan and Goten?" Goku asked, chewing on a hamburger. "They're gonna be late."

"They're coming," Pan assured him. "I saw Dad dragging Goten out of bed as I left. They'll come with King Kai."

"Good," said Goku. "But what about Jiro? It feels like I haven't seen him in days!"

"He's…gonna sleep in," Sachiko whispered, trying to ignore the pain in her gut. "He said that he doesn't care about the tournament."

Goku made an unintelligible noise. "Geez! That kid has attitude problems! I haven't seen anyone like this since—say, Sachi-chan, are you alright?" Goku put down his burger and bent down, so that he and Sachiko were at eye level. Sachiko couldn't answer him; she was too busy trying to ignore the burning sensation at the back of her throat.

"Sachi? You don't look so well." Goku felt her forehead, and then compared it with his. "No fever…"

Sachiko opened her mouth to speak, but immediately covered it with one hand as she choked back the bitter sourness that surged at her throat. The lower half of her stomach wanted to make a bowel movement while the top half wanted to upchuck all of the contents she had recently stuffed down her throat. Her mouth suddenly felt slick and tasted of pork and vegetables.

"Sachiko?" Pan bent down and patted her back. "Are you—EEECH!" She backed away as Sachiko leaned over and retched all over the grass. Slops of white and brown poured out of her mouth, and Sachiko was barely able to breathe as she tried to hold the vomit back a moment, only to spew the half digested mess over and over again.

She was starting to attract the attention of the other quadrant fighters, including Pikkon, who was now coming over to see what the problem was. This was embarrassing! Sachiko tried to stop and breathe, but she ended up choking on her own vomit. Oh sweet mother of Amaterasu, she was going to drown in her own vile. She felt hot tears trickle down the corner of her eyes. This was humiliating…for both her and her honored ancestors…

"Relax. It's alright." Pikkon's deep voice came from her side, and she felt his hands and Goku's rub her back and shoulders soothingly, while out of the corner of her eye she saw Pan holding her hair back. For some reason this was a little better; it was now easier to take breaths in between, though there were few. Sachiko continued to retch until she was drained, and collapsed into Pan's arms. Despite the fact that Sachiko was covered in vomit and tears, Pan hugged her reassuringly.

"It's okay," the older woman whispered. "It happens to us too. Don't cry."

"Take her to the bathroom," Goku ordered, and Pan, carrying Sachiko, rushed off to do so. She bumped into Trunks at the entrance, who was startled to see her and Sachiko in their present state.

"Did I miss something?" he asked dumbly as Sachiko nodded off in Pan's arms.

"That's obvious," Pan snapped. "Help me clean her up."

"But," Trunks protested as Pan began to drag him to the restroom, "that's the women's room."

"So? How many women are up here in Fighter Heaven? Three? Don't be such a prick and come on! Sachiko's sick!"

"Aww…but the bathroom's pink! Can't Uub do this?"

"GET IN HERE NOW!"

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

Goku stood on his feet and stepped away from the mess that was once forty-two pork buns. He turned, with a serious look, to Pikkon, whose face was set in stone. "Remind you of anything?" Goku asked, his voice hard.

"The Tuna Fish Mayhem," Pikkon replied, his voice the equivalent of a storm's calm. He went to the plate of pork buns and scattered the remaining food all over the ground. "This was all she ate, right?" he asked, his eyes betraying his emotionless face. "Do you feel sick too?"

"No, I feel fine, and I ate as much as she did. Except for the pork buns."

"You didn't eat any of those buns?"

"No…Sachiko wouldn't let me touch them."

An uncomfortable silence fell between the two men. While one mind was still trying to accept and comprehend what had happened, the other was trying to figure out if the suspect in question had the gall to pull off such a stunt again. Finally, the latter broke the silence.

"When did you get here?" Pikkon asked. Goku thought for a moment.

"I came really early. Sachiko dragged me here to spar in the arena…Arqua was here too," Goku added thoughtfully. Pikkon's eyes widened.

"Goku…you don't think…"

"Oh come on," Goku protested. "East Kai wouldn't try to poison us twice in a row. The Grand Kai warned her of the consequences if she tried that again…"

"Try what again?" Goten asked, stretching his arms as he reached his father. "Oh boy, I had a good sleep…" He looked up to see both Pikkon and Goku glaring at him, and he panicked slightly. "Did I miss something important?" he asked nervously.

"Well, if that isn't the understatement of the year," Pikkon muttered. Goten frowned.

"Well, if you'd tell me, I would make such stupid comments, now would I? I assume it had something to do with Pan and Trunks pulling Gohan into the women's bathroom though…"

"Sachiko's been poisoned," Goku said gravely. Goten's eyes widened, and his jaw dropped as well.

"The half-pint?" he said in disbelief. "Oh Kami, it's the Tuna Fish Mayhem all over again!"

"It was just the pork buns," Goku explained, but Pikkon had spotted the Grand Kai, and was heading towards him as fast as normal, calm, and composed walking pace would allow him to go. No sense in losing his head...that was the last thing Sachiko needed.

They reached the Grand Kai just as the Mushroom Announcer called Reficul and Goten to the ring.

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

"Where are we going?"

Having already discussed the process, today they were supposed to make the model of the dragon Kargo envisioned. But instead of going to the meadow or the lake, Dende led Kargo down a new path, one that lead to a small, cozy looking house in the middle of what had to be the largest, most colorful garden Kargo had ever laid eyes on. In fact, it was so colorful that the flowers actually blinded Kargo for a moment, and he had to pause and wait for his vision to return as Dende floated ahead without him.

"Just rub them for a moment, and let's go," Dende said as he floated back and guided the blind Kargo to the house.

"Why are we going to that home?' Kargo asked, blinking furiously. "What does this have to do with the training?"

"Nothing."

His vision now partially back, Kargo turned to where he thought his ancestor was and glared at him. "Then why are we going there, dammit?"

"_Kargo_."

"Sorry."

"The Otherworld Tournament is starting today. I thought that you'd like to see it with Bulma, Chi-chi, and everyone else. Besides…your friend _Sachiko_ might show up on screen," Dende added slyly.

Kargo stopped, and felt the blood rush to his face. Damn that Dende…

"We have plenty of time to make the balls," Dende said. "It's not like a ravenous hyena is coming to devour us."

Kargo hesitated for a moment before smiling. "Yeah," he agreed. "I guess you're right…"

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

"Next!"

"FINALLY!" Piccolo yelled, startling the red ogre and all of the nearby soul clouds. He stomped towards Lord Emma and crossed his arms as the ogre stared at him scrupulously.

"You're not dead," said Lord Emma, confused.

"I know," Piccolo snapped. "I'm looking for my idiot son. You may have seen or heard of him." Piccolo's voice suddenly took on a more pleasant, coaxing tone, and he began to pace about slowly. "He's almost thirteen years by human standards, looks like me. Has almost no respect for authority, and a…certain knack for getting in trouble. Was last seen in the company of two human youths. A teenaged human boy, and a small, rather adorable human girl with a tail."

Lord Emma's lip began to twitch at that last description, and his eyes narrowed dangerously. "Ah…the terrible trio." He flipped through a black book on his desk, and stopped when he came to three highlighted names. "Kargo, Jiro, and Sachiko, am I right?"

"Yes," Piccolo said smoothly, effectively hiding his surprise. "Where are they?"

"Well, let's see. If I tell you, will you take them out of here? Are you willing to temporarily die in order to find them?"

"Let me answer your question with one of my own. Do you think I waited twenty hours on line to NOT take my insolent child back?"

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

"SOMEONE GET ME OUT OF THIS THING!"

Piccolo thrashed wildly; he tried to knock himself against the walls of the cavern, he tried to free his hands to that he could blast the metal away, but his hands were pinned tightly against him, and he was trapped.

If he wasn't already dead, he would have attempted suicide by now. Staring blankly into the darkness, he wondered when he would ever see the light of Hell again.

Suddenly, he felt his body being dragged across the cavern floor. He tried to look up to see who was taking him, but the darkness hid the person's face, and the person's ki was unfamiliar.

"Hey," Piccolo grunted, so as to not frighten or anger his supposed rescuer, "who are you?"

The person now reached the mouth of the cavern, and in the light, Piccolo could see that this was a Namek. A Namek that wasn't dead. A Namek that looked surprisingly like Dende. An older, more muscular version of Dende. The Namek didn't smile, and instead began to carefully blast the metal legs off.

"My name is Piccolo," the Namek said.

"Excuse me?" Piccolo asked, not sure if he heard correctly.

"I said, my name is Piccolo," the other Piccolo repeated. "I know that Nameks have sensitive hearing, so please don't play dumb, Mister…"

"Piccolo."

"Piccolo. WHAT?"

"Who's playing dumb now?" Piccolo asked, smirking.

The other Piccolo looked flustered, but quickly regained his compose as he blasted the last piece of metal off. Piccolo Stood up and stretched his sore muscles. Gods, it was good to be free!

"I'm looking for my son," the other Piccolo said suddenly. "But for now I'm looking for a human teenager who is said to have spiky hair, a big mouth, and a bad attitude. Have you seen anyone who matches this description?"

Piccolo blinked for a moment before frowning. "Yes…yes I have."

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

After his last explosion with Vegeta, Jiro knew that the prince was going to give him hell (no pun intended), and sure enough, it was hell that Vegeta brought. For his one hundred seconds of insolence, he was ordered to do exactly one hundred sit-ups, one hundred one-handed push-ups, one hundred jumping jacks, one hundred laps around Needle Mountain, and had to go through one hundred seconds of spar time with a pissed off Vegeta, all on the same day.

So wouldn't it be a little obvious that by the time he spared, he would be too tired to even lift his little pinkie? To Vegeta, it wasn't.

Thirty seconds into the spar, Jiro threw himself flat on the ground as a ki blast sailed over his head. He quickly rolled away to avoid another blast that Vegeta sent to the ground, and leapt to his feet, hurling his now glowing hand forward in a throwing motion. A spark appeared, and floated to the ground as if it was a feather. But nothing else happened.

Fifty seconds to go.

"You still haven't got it," Vegeta snarled, much to Jiro's dismay. "You—are—not—focused!" He threw a ki blast in between each word, and Jiro was forced to dodge them all, and then had to block Vegeta's now flying fists.

"I did it last time!" Jiro yelled, barely ducking a punch. "Just piss me off again! That'll work, won't it? Agh!" Jiro's legs were swept under him and he fell to the ground.

Twenty seconds to go.

Jiro grabbed Vegeta's fist, which was mere inches away from smashing into his nose. Gritting his teeth, he tried to push his hand away, but Vegeta's hand remained in place, and was immovable. Growling, Jiro looked at the prince's face and was furious to see the older man smirking.

_He—he's just playing with me,_ Jiro realized. _The son-of-a-bitch is just playing with me!_

Enraged, Jiro kicked the older man in the chest, surprising him enough for Jiro to escape his hold. Focusing this time, he threw several ki blasts at the now fuming Vegeta, who knocked all the blasts away as if they were mere flies.

_God dammit! How am I supposed to kick his ass if he keeps doing that!_

Jiro was considering using guerilla tactics when a large crash came from two hundred feet away. He turned and saw a fairly large plasma TV, with several ogre men setting it up.

"Is it movie night or something?" Jiro asked, watching a blue ogre accidentally fall off the top of the TV. Vegeta snorted in response.

"It must be time for that pathetic Otherworld Tournament again. They do this every two years. It bores the life out of me, because each time Kakarrot comes out the winner."

Jiro raised a curious brow. "Why don't you enter then?"

"It's only for Heaven's occupants. Are we in Heaven, brat?"

"No, oh mighty prince," Jiro said sarcastically. Vegeta growled at the teen's insolence, but stopped when the screen came on, and many of the ogre men began to jeer.

"What gives?"

"The next round should have started by now!"

"Bad enough we missed the first fight. I heard that West Kai's new student was knocked out by one of North's Kai's guys in like, ten seconds."

"I heard that the East Kai tried her stunt again. Some girl's sick, a girl with a tail."

Jiro's eyes widened. A girl with a tail was sick? No, it couldn't be Sachiko. He probably heard them wrong.

"I heard that the girl was the one who crashed the pane with those two other live kids."

"Ach! Do you know how long it took for me to clean up the plane debris?"

_Oh gods…_Jiro's face paled in horror. _Sachiko…_

Jiro began to run towards the ogre men, only to be stopped by Vegeta grabbing the back of his pants.

"Where are you going, brat?" Vegeta asked gruffly. "If they see you, you'll get thrown out!"

"Didn't you hear them? Sachiko is sick! Damn!" Jiro swore. "I knew I shouldn't have left her alone! I should have just dragged her with me! What was I thinking, leaving her to take care of herself?"

"I thought you…disliked her?" Vegeta asked, choosing his words carefully.

"I didn't dislike her!" Jiro yelled. "I was just mad! I say crappy things when I'm mad! Damn it! I have to go get her!"

"Then allow me to take you to her," a deep voice rumbled from behind them. Jiro and Vegeta turned to see two Nameks, an unfamiliar one who was wearing a black and white gi, and Piccolo, who was standing behind him, smirking.

Training time was over.

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN SACHI-CHAN IS SICK!"

Dende and the women had to pull Kargo away from the television set in order to stop him from shaking it like a madman. They forcefully sat him down on the white sofa like a child as Videl and Chi-Chi tried to talk him down.

"This happened last year too," Videl explained, slightly frightened by the Namek's angered facial features. "The tuna fish casserole, the main dish, was poisoned by a fighter from a rival quadrant."

"Everyone became so sick that the tournament had to be put off for two weeks." Chi-chi added. "My poor Goku was throwing up almost every night…he almost didn't want to eat again! Almost."

"This isn't like last time!" Kargo yelled, trying to break free of their hold. "Only Sachi is sick! I have to go to her! Damn it! Where the hell is Jiro? He's supposed to be keeping an eye on her!"

"Hey, they're back!" Bulma exclaimed, watching the screen. "Hey, I see Pan and Trunks and Gohan walking in with a little girl!"

Kargo took the opportunity to slip away from the women's restraints and stare intently at the TV, seeing Sachi once again dressed in her extra large white shirt and green shorts. Her face looked pale and drawn, and her hair was disheveled. But most of all, her weary look made her a wretched sight to behold. Kargo felt his insides clench. Sachi looked so sick and vulnerable…

"Poor child," Dende muttered. "Say, look at Goku and Pikkon! It looks like they're yelling at the Grand Kai about something."

"Well whatever it is, I can't hear it," Bulma complained. "Turn it up."

Kargo grabbed the remote and began to increase the volume, but suddenly another hand painfully grabbed his. Dende looked at the hand; it belonged to a Namek, so he assumed it was Dende, but when the hand tightened his grip, Kargo looked up…and paled.

"Hello, boy," Piccolo hissed, his eyes flashing like lightning. Kargo began to tremble slightly, before he gave his father a shaky smile.

"H-hi dad. When d-did you d-d-die?"

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

Gohan wiped Sachiko's sweaty brow as she leaned heavily against him and Trunks. After discarding her of her vile covered garments, Pan had sent the flustered Gohan to pick up her old clothing, which had been washed and mended. Back in her own clothing, she felt better, if not a _little_ queasy.

But what exactly had happened? Sachiko lifted her head slightly to see Pikkon, Goku, Pan and King Kai arguing with the Grand Kai furiously. Behind them, she saw a large woman that resembled King Kai, with the fish-like creature she and Goku had met earlier that morning. She couldn't exactly get up and walk over to them, for Gohan had her in a vice-like grip, but if she listened carefully enough, she could hear them.

"You can't just let this go," Pikkon said, his voice like rumbling thunder. "A little girl got very sick because of this."

"Well, don't blame me!" East Kai protested. "I would never be crazy enough to pull off the same stunt twice! That would be suicide!"

"Of course you would be crazy enough, you old hag!" King Kai yelled. "You're so desperate to get rid of my fighters that you would most _certainly_ pull off the same stunt again!"

"Be quiet, you dead fart!" East Kai shrieked.

"Enough!" The Grand Kai yelled, and everyone fell silent. He turned to Arqua, who was now trembling. "We have two eyewitnesses that place you here alone, under very suspicious circumstances. What were you doing here so early?"

Arqua made a noise, but it was unintelligible.

"Did you contaminate the pork buns?"

Arqua trembled once more before nodding slowly.

Pan made a furious move towards Arqua, only to have Goku pull her back. Pikkon's fists clenched angrily at his sides, but he said nothing, and his face remained passive. More or less.

"Why did you do it?" Goku asked, trying to restrain a furious Pan. Arqua gulped nervously before pointing to the East Kai.

"She told me to do it," Arqua whispered in his raspy voice, and the East Kai exploded.

"Arqua! How dare you lie!"

"But I am not lying."

"Yes you are! How dare you go against me!"

"But—"

"I said enough!" Grand Kai yelled. "East Kai, I specifically warned you about this. You leave me no choice. I'm gonna have to ban you from competing in the Otherworld Tournament for the next five hundred years."

The East Kai's jaw hit the floor. "You—you can't be serious…"

"Lady, I have never been more serious in my life. And I declare," the Grand Kai said in a louder voice, "that all fighters who were matched up with any of the East Kai's fighters automatically advance to the next round. That's my final word."

Sachiko turned away as the East Kai began to bawl, and she buried her head against Gohan's chest. _Look what I've done,_ she thought to herself. _I've made the East Kai cry._ _Now she'll hate me for the next five hundred years._

"Is she alright?" A soft voice asked. Sachiko wondered who that was, but she didn't lift up her head.

"She's getting better," Gohan said. "Don't worry about it, Refi."

"Alright. Give her my regards when she wakes up." Sachiko felt a gloved finger move against her cheek for a moment, before she heard the fading sounds of the man's steps against the grass.

"He's weird," Trunks said out loud.

"C'mon. He's just new."

"And boy, did he show it. He lost to Goten in _record time_."

"Where is Goten, anyway?"

"He said he had to get something."

"Next up," said the Mushroom Announcer, "is the fight everyone's been dying to see! And by golly it's the second match-up of the tournament! From the West Quadrant, we have the sensational Pikkon! Let's give it up people!"

Headache fading, Sachiko lifted her head as the crowd let out a roar of approval, particularly those from the West Quadrant. Sachiko saw Pikkon slowly walk up the steps to the arena, casting a brief glance her way. Sachiko smiled and gave him a wave, and his stony face broke into a look of relief.

"Hey, you're up!" Gohan exclaimed, giving her a brief hug.

"Who's Pikkon-san fighting?" Sachiko asked, but her question was answered in a minute.

"Now! Coming from the North Quadrant…he's been the winner at least ninety-nine out of a hundred times, folks! You all know him, you all love him! It's Goku!"

The crowd exploded now; the audience was cheering so hard that Sachiko had to cover her ears to prevent herself fromgoing deaf. Goku didn't seem to notice, though. He also cast a worried look her way, which she stopped by giving him a thumbs-up sign.

"You all know the rules folks!" said the Mushroom Announcer. "Let's try to keep the rest of the tournament clean and simple!"

The Grand Kai himself ran the gong, and the match began.

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

Goku sped towards Pikkon, and the two began to engage one another in a series of blows, each one powerful enough to punch a hole through solid steel. Every attack was met with a block, and every block was turned into a counterattack that was met with another block, and the cycle continued.

Sachiko watched as the two men began to increase their speed, and it got to the point where she had to stop trusting her eyes. The blows continued to get more powerful, and Sachiko could almost _feel_ the impact that resonated from their attacks.

_They were holding back on me during our training_, she realized with a twinge of hurt.

Suddenly, the two stopped fighting, and stepped away from each other. So far it had been a deadlock, neither fighter gaining the upper hand. Sachiko watched, with confusion, as Pikkon began to remove his belt.

"What's he doing?" Sachiko asked, her eyes focused on the undressing man. Suddenly, Gohan clapped a hand over her eyes, and Sachiko began to yell in protest. "Hey!"

"Would you mind, Pikkon?" Gohan yelled to the green fighter, ignoring the little hand furiously trying to pull his down. "We have innocent little minds here, watching your every movement!"

Sachiko pulled Gohan's hand down, and saw that Pikkon's face had darkened somewhat, whether it was due to anger or embarrassment, she didn't know. She also saw Goku scratching his head in confusion, unsure about what the offense was.

Pikkon had removed his belt, his white robes, and his black hat, and had wrapped them neatly around each other. He tossed it to the side, and the clothing slid off the arena and crashed to the ground, creating a fairly large hole when it landed.

"Oh wow," Sachiko exclaimed, and hopped off of Gohan to inspect the clothing. Grabbing the white robes, she tried to lift it off the ground, but was shocked to find out that it weighted as much as a thousand year old oak tree.

_Pikkon-san wears clothes like this every minute of every day? No wonder he's so strong!_

Sachiko was suddenly distracted by Goku screaming in the arena. She gasped; his ki was rising to great heights, ones that she couldn't dream of. She then realized what he was going to do; she had seen him, Goten, Trunks, and Gohan try this before when they were training. He was going to go…

"AAAAAGGGGHHHH!"

…Super Saiyajin.

_This is getting good_, Sachiko thought as she watched Goku smirk. She watched both him and Pikkon get into their respective fighting positions, and waited with anticipation…when she felt a strangely familiar hand on her shoulder. She looked up and gasped.

"Piccolo-san…"

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

**Sachiko: I don't wanna go home yet! I wanna see who wins! Oh no…don't hurt him, Gohan-san! Piccolo-san means no harm! What? You already picked up Jiro and Kargo-kun? Okay then, I guess I'll go. Oh, Kargo? Did you find out how to make the balls? Good! Wait a minute, Piccolo-san! What do you mean, you won't let him make the dragonballs? What do you mean, you're going to kick him out of the house if he does? HOW COULD YOU?**

**Read and Review, please.**


	13. Home Sweet Hell

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

A/N: (Laughs nervously at readers) Uh…um…I missed you guys? Yikes! (Runs as readers give chase with torches and pitchforks)

It's been a long time, I know. But my inspiration for this came back! Really it did!

**_Chapter Thirteen: Home Sweet Hell_**

Sachiko stood nervously in front of the stony Namek, completely unsure of how to react. She had worried him, had been gone for weeks, and had not even left a note to explain where she and Kargo had been.

She wasn't a smart girl, but she was almost one-hundred-percent certain that Piccolo-san was very, _very_ unhappy.

"_Kamehameha_!"

Goku's scream brought her attention back to the fight. She turned just in time to see Pikkon dodge a large, bright blue beam, which sped on and collided with the other side of the arena, sending many spectators screaming and running for their lives. Pikkon didn't stay still, however; he rapidly counterattacked with a swift kick to Goku's head. Goku knocked his leg away, and attempted to punch the green warrior, who quickly grabbed his fist. Both Goku and Pikkon smirked, before…

Sachiko yelped as Piccolo spun her around, back towards him. She looked into his furious face and gulped. Boy, was she gonna get it…

"Sachiko!" Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Gohan and Trunks make their way towards her, both with worried expressions. "Sachiko!" Gohan said again as he arrived. "What's going on?" He tried to reach for her, but Piccolo quickly took her hand and pulled her behind him, hiding her from view.

"This child is coming with me," he said, his voice tight and controlled. "I appreciate you watching over her, but we must return to Earth."

"Says who?" Trunks asked, his own voice becoming annoyed. "And who the heck are _you_, anyway?"

Sachiko felt Piccolo's grip tighten on her hand, and heard a soft growl from the depths of his throat. Scared of a possible fight, she poked her head out from behind Piccolo, and said in a meek voice, "This is Piccolo-san. He's the guardian of the Earth, and a friend of my grandfather's." She paused for a moment, before hastily adding, "Please don't fight! _Please_?"

Both Saiyajin men frowned, but before either of them could say a word, a hearty laugh came from the direction of the Grand Kai.

"Well!" the Grand Kai exclaimed, giving Piccolo a crooked grin. "You finally made it. Funny, I wasn't expecting you to get here for quite some time, not with the kids scattered out all over the place."

"You must be the…err…_Grand_ Kai," Piccolo said slowly, his eyes taking in the wizen form of the old immortal. After debating on the matter for a moment, he bowed his head—somewhat respectfully. "I thank you for taking care of Sachiko. Adorable as she is, I know she can be a handful."

"Don't apologize to me, man. Her ancestors were the ones who looked after her." The Grand Kai pointed to Gohan and Trunks, who were watching Piccolo scrupulously. "So! Are you leaving just like that? Or are you gonna stay, and watch the fight with us? The two fighters in the ring are real close to the girl, you know."

At this, Sachiko gave the Namek a pleading look, but he shook his head. "We'll have to decline. I must be getting her home."

"I suppose you'll want Jiro, as well?" Trunks asked, his face still set in a frown. "Want us to go get him?"

"No. I already found my idiotic son—"

"Piccolo-san!" Sachiko shrieked.

"—and that brash human boy," Piccolo finished, ignoring the small girl. "I split myself into three parts to save some time. My other forms should be with Lord Emma by now, for I can feel that they're no longer in Civilian Heaven and Hell."

"Hell?" Gohan repeated, and Sachiko suddenly paled. "Who was in Hell?"

"The big-mouthed human boy," Piccolo answered. "Didn't you know? He was fighting with some short man, one that had spiky hair—"

"Well, we'd better get going now!" Sachiko said loudly, cutting off the conversation. She grabbed Piccolo's arm, and began to quickly drag the Namek towards the exit. "Bye everybody! I'll try to live as a hero, so that I can come here when I die—Yikes!" She began to run when she saw Gohan try to catch up with them.

"Sachiko!" the Saiyajin yelled. "Hold on a minute—what's this about Jiro being in Hell? Did you know about this?"

"Piccolo-san, run!" Sachiko cried, looking back at Gohan's frustrated form. "Aaagh! Run faster! Run—OW!" Sachiko cried out as she collided painfully with something large, solid, and well-built. She managed to stay on her feet, however, and quickly turned to see Goten standing in front of her, holding a small, dark bottle in one hand, and a bag of white mints in the other.

"What's wrong, squirt?" Goten asked. "Are you feeling better now?"

Sachiko glanced at the bottle, which was labeled, "Stomach Pain Away" in bright red letters. "You brought that for me?" she asked, forgetting who and what she was running from. "That's so…_nice_ of you!"

"Yeah, well…" Goten flushed, before looking away. "The mints are for you too. I mean, no one was eating them, and I don't want them to go waste, and…oh, just take them." He slipped the bag into Sachiko's pocket.

"Sachiko, who is _this_?" Piccolo asked, exasperation evident in his voice now. "How many people do you know up here?"

"Well—"

"Um, why is my brother coming this way with an angry look on his face?" Goten asked uneasily, looking back towards the arena.

"Uh-oh! Run, Piccolo-san! RUN AWAY!"

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

As quickly as it began, it all came to an end.

Kargo and Jiro were already at Lord Emma's palace, with the other two versions of Piccolo holding a struggling Jiro in place. Kargo, who finally had his body back, sat in the corner of the room, with his knees pulled to his chest. His face was expressionless, a look that Sachiko was not accustomed to seeing.

Pulling away from Piccolo, she made her way to Kargo and quickly plopped down next to him, hugging him without warning around his waist. Kargo jumped slightly, and one emotion quickly returned to his features—embarrassment.

"S-sachi?" He pulled away slightly and stared at her, as though not believing she was there. He grabbed her shoulders, and shook her slightly. "Y-you're okay? Y-you're not sick?"

Sachiko shook her head. "Not anymore. I'm all better now! Have a mint." Before Kargo could react, Sachiko slipped one of the white candies into his mouth, and he nearly coughed it out before he could adjust to the sweet taste. "Good, isn't it?" Sachiko asked. Kargo could only nod.

"Hey, kid!" Jiro finally tore away from the other Piccolos, and ran towards Sachiko. "You're alive!"

"'Course I'm alive," Sachiko exclaimed. "Why wouldn't I be? You and Kargo worry too much."

Jiro flushed in embarrassment, before a scowl made its way to his face. "I wasn't worried," he muttered. "It's just that if something happened to you, those green freaks—" he turned towards the three Piccolos, who were now fusing "—would have beaten me up without a thought."

"Piccolo-san wouldn't do that!" Sachiko cried.

"Yes he would," Kargo muttered under his breath. Suddenly, a green fist began to grind painfully into the top of his head, and Kargo yelped as he scrambled away. He quickly rose to his feet, and found himself face to face with his father, who looked far from happy.

_Oh fuck…_

"You may want to keep your mouth shut, boy," Piccolo said in a dangerously soft voice. "At least until we get home. Otherwise, I may not be responsible for my actions towards you, even _with_ the presence of Sachiko and Lord Emma."

"Oh, don't mind me," Lord Emma said, stamping at several papers. "I'm actually enjoying the show. A good break from all the increased deaths, lately."

Despite being used to having his father mad at him, there was something deadly in the older Namek's voice this time. Kargo felt his body tremble, and lowered his eyes.

"That's better." Piccolo turned to Sachiko, who had been standing awkwardly to the side with Jiro. "Sachiko, I'm surprised at you. Why didn't you try to stop him? You're usually much more behaved than my lunkhead of a son." Piccolo threw a disgusted glance at Kargo.

"That's a bit…harsh," Jiro said quietly. "Even on my standards."

"Please stop saying those terrible things!" Sachiko begged. "You must understand, Piccolo-san, he did it for me! I missed Grandfather and Okaasan so much, and I just wanted to see them again—"

"I miss them too," Piccolo interrupted. "But this does not excuse the behavior you three have shown."

"No, you don't understand! He was trying to figure out how to make dragonballs, so that he could bring them back!"

"Dragonballs?" Piccolo turned to Kargo, who still had his eyes lowered. "Dragonballs?" he repeated, as if he wasn't sure of what Sachiko said.

"Yeah, she said _dragonballs_," Jiro snapped. "You know, these magic ball-thingies that have a dragon inside. And this dragon grants wishes when you call on it. What, you got wax in your ears, or something?"

Piccolo glared at Jiro, before turning to Kargo with a frown. "I see. You really _are_ an insane child, aren't you?"

Kargo looked up, anger flashing in his dark eyes, but Piccolo didn't wait for an answer. He grabbed Sachiko's hand and pulled her away. "Come along, _children_," Piccolo said gruffly, tossing an icy look to Kargo and Jiro. To Lord Emma, he gave a smirk. "Thank you for your help. And thanks for keeping an eye on Mr. Popo."

"My pleasure. But just be easy on the little ones, okay?" Emma shouted as they left. "They're still kids!"

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

Throughout his twelve years and some odd months of life, Kargo had learned to read his father's body movements like a book. Whenever his father's shoulders were low, it was a sign that he was calm and relaxed, a perfect time for asking for favors. However, when his father's hands and jaws were clenched (which was often), it was a sign of his upcoming anger, and Kargo knew better than to push his luck.

Unfortunately, in this situation, he seemed to have passed the point of no return.

Kargo kept his eyes fixed on one of the white stone pillars of the lookout, as his father slowly paced back and forth in front of him. Though he wasn't looking, he could tell that Piccolo's hands were curled into tight fists, and he could hear his father's teeth grind together in frustration.

He was surprised that he hadn't been beaten yet.

A blue head poked out from behind the stone pillar, and Kargo saw Sachiko's golden eyes widen with fear as she stared at the storm about to come. Kargo froze, and he threw a quick glance at his father, who was still pacing.

The older Namek was too angry to sense Sachiko. Kargo let out a sigh of relief, and tried to motion for her to leaVe the room until he saw another figure come up behind her. Kargo frowned as he saw Jiro move up behind Sachiko, and almost growled out loud when he saw the human boy mouth to him silently, "Try not to die yet."

So preoccupied was he with Jiro that he didn't see the fist that was speeding towards his face.

"Agh!" Kargo crashed to the floor, his left cheek smarting with pain. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Jiro quickly cover Sachiko's mouth before she could scream. He didn't have time to reflect on this, however. He quickly rolled away as his father aimed another punch, this time for his gut. The fist connected with the stone floor, and a large crater was left where his stomach been moments before.

"You stupid _child_!" Piccolo snarled, raising his fist again. "You ungrateful, miserable, _brat_! Disappearing for a month…what the hell were you thinking? Forget that—did you even think once?"

Kargo stood and assumed a fighting stance. "Are you going to kill me, dad?" he asked sarcastically. "Or are you just going to insult me all night long?" In the shadows, Sachiko was now being physically restrained by Jiro.

Piccolo swiped at Kargo's head, missing the boy by inches. "What were you thinking?" he yelled. "What makes you think that you can recreate the dragonballs just like that? There's a reason why our family stopped making them! Are you insane?"

"How am I insane?" Kargo shot back, blocking a kick from his father. "Am I insane because I want to bring back Sachiko's family? Am I insane because I want to bring back all those people who were slaughtered?"

Jiro was now having trouble restraining the frantically struggling girl. At this rate, he wouldn't be able to hold her much longer…

"You don't know the dangers of those balls!" Piccolo bellowed, grabbing Kargo's arm and twisting it behind his back. "They can be used to cause havoc and destruction to the _universe_, let alone Earth! They can endanger everyone who even _know_ about the power of the dragonballs, even if those involved have no intention of using them!"

Kargo struggled against his father's hold, wincing as his father twisted his arm harder. "You think I don't know? I'm _aware _of all that!"

"Then why are you using them to bring back the dead? You can't tamper with those who are already in Otherworld. It disturbs the balance of life!"

"Getting _murdered _disturbs the balance of life! OW! STOP TWISTING MY ARM!"

"WHY DO YOU INSIST ON DOING THIS?" Piccolo bellowed.

"BECAUSE I HAVE TO!" Kargo screamed. Piccolo let out a roar, and was about to strike the younger Namek when a high-pitched scream rang throughout the room.

"_Leave him alone_!" Sachiko shrieked, her face white as a sheet as she ran towards them. "_Leave Kargo-kun alone_!"

Piccolo blinked, and loosened his hold. Kargo took the opportunity to slip away from his father, just as Sachiko forced herself in-between the two Nameks. "_Stop hurting him_!" Sachiko screamed, shielding Kargo with her body. "_I encouraged him to do all this! It's my fault! Don't take it out on him! Hit me if you want!_"

Sachiko held out her white cheek to Piccolo who, along with Kargo, stared at her in absolute shock.

Jiro quickly ran up to the three, and pulled Sachiko out of the way. He forced her to stand behind him when they were once again behind the pillars. "Stay out of this!" he snarled. "Don't you dare play hero now!"

Sachiko stared at him in hurt. "But…Jiro…"

"It's not our business what goes on between them. Stay out if it."

Regaining his senses, Kargo turned to his father. "You can't stop me," he spat. "I already know how to make the balls. It's only a matter of making the model, and then I'm set."

"Do you really think," Piccolo growled, "that I'm going to let you make those damned things as long as you live under my roof? I'd sooner watch porn with Goushi's corpse and drink that disgusting beverage those humans call 'alcohol' before I'd let you make a single dragonball."

Kargo froze. Jiro, who was watching his face, swore silently.

"What's wrong?" Sachiko asked, her voice fearful.

"The freak's cornered," Jiro muttered. "That bigger freak is threatening to disown him if he doesn't back out of the dragonball project."

Sachiko gasped in shock. Then, she gave Jiro a confused look. "What does 'disowned' mean?"

Kargo stared at his father, as if not understanding what was just said. "You…you wouldn't…"

"Try me, _son_."

Kargo's eyes widened. _The bastard's serious…_For a moment, he reconsidered his actions. Even before, he had never pissed his father off this much. Disownment meant that he would be shunned from the tower forever; his father would make sure of that. He would have to live forever amongst the humans, most of whom would shoot him first and ask questions—never.

Part of him seriously wanted to fall to his father's feet, grovel like a dog, and beg for forgiveness.

He turned to Sachiko, who was staring at him worriedly. He had started this whole mess for her. Come hell or high water, he swore that he would do this…for her. The one living being who thought he was more interesting than any _human_ she had ever come across. If anything happened to him, she would always take him with open arms, and a smile.

If they went forward with the mission…Kargo saw Jiro shake his head, and frowned. The human joining them was a complete and total accident, and the boy no doubt had agendas of his own…but with Sachiko on his side, Jiro was outnumbered two-to-one. He could be controlled.

He didn't see where his father fit into the mix, and even now, with the threat of disownment, he saw no reason to add the older Namek to it.

It was decided.

"Fuck you," Kargo muttered.

Piccolo blinked, obviously not expecting that response. "Excuse me?"

"I said, _fuck you_," Kargo repeated, louder. "I'm doing this. Like I said, you can't stop me. Whether you support me or not is up to you." With that, Kargo turned, and walked towards the pillars, where Jiro and Sachiko were staring at Kargo in shock. "C'mon Sachi-chan. We're going."

Sachiko could only nod as Kargo took her hand and led her to the exit. Jiro followed them nervously, not wanting to be left alone with the now motionless Piccolo.

Even when they all left, Piccolo did not move until hours later, when Mr. Popo came in and asked if anything was wrong.

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

"Wow, Sachi-chan. You've really improved on your flying."

Sachiko gave Kargo an uneasy smile as they flew through the night towards her house. "Thanks," she said. "Goku-san and Pikkon-san really helped me out. They're the best teachers in the world."

Kargo snorted. "Pikkon doesn't seem _that_ great," he mumbled.

"You…didn't have to do that," she said suddenly, looking away. "You didn't have to get dis—disowned." When Jiro had finally told her the meaning of the word "disownment" she had nearly screamed with horror. To be thrown away from one's family like that was inconceivable to her—even now. "It's not worth it to have Piccolo-san hate you."

Kargo shook his head. "It was bound to happen sooner of later. Besides, I promised I would do this for you, remember?"

"But…"

"But nothing!" Kargo said firmly. "Now, no more talking about my stupid dad. I'm happier now than I ever have been."

Sachiko doubted this, but decided not to push it. "So what do we do now Kargo?" she asked. "How are you going to make the dragonballs?"

"We'll rest at your house tonight, and then we'll head over to Jiro's place in the morning. We'll pick up the dragon radar, and then I'll start the model at his place."

Sachiko tilted her head curiously. "We're staying at Jiro's?"

"Hey! Less talking, more holding!" Jiro yelped as he hung on to Sachiko and Kargo. "I still can't fly, remember? You drop me, and the deal about staying at my place is _off_, freak!"

Kargo looked down at Jiro and grimaced. "You know, for someone who trained with the mighty Vegeta, you really are pathetic. I could drop you right now, and no one would care…"

"I would care!" Sachiko gasped. "Don't even say something like that!"

Kargo frowned, as Jiro shot him a contemptuous look. He sulked for a moment, before his features lit up. "Hey Sachi-chan! Did you meet Vegeta?"

Sachiko cocked her head. "Who?"

"Sachiko! I told you that you had two ancestors, remember? One was Goku, and the other one was…" Kargo waited for an answer, but only received a blank stare from Sachiko. He groaned, and yelled, "Vegeta! Vegeta is your other ancestor!"

Jiro stared at Kargo in disbelief. "No way," he said. "Sweet little Sachiko, related to the asshole Vegeta? Not possible."

"I have proof!" Kargo yelled, pointing to the lump in his hoodie, where Dende's journal was hidden.

"Proof, shmuoof—AGH! HELP!"

Jiro clung to Sachiko's leg, who was trying her hardest to keep the heavy boy from falling. Kargo snickered, and forced a look of innocence on his face. "Oops...I must have _accidentally_ lost my grip. Sorry, rich boy."

"You son-of-a-bitch!" Jiro screamed, ignoring Sachiko's shriek at his use of bad language. "When we're on ground again, I'm gonna kill you and send you back to Hell!"

"I'd like to see you try, boy-who-can't-fly!" Kargo taunted, sticking his tongue out.

"Uh, guys? We're here." Sachiko jerked her head towards the small house that stood next to a stone temple. She gazed at it, confused, and nearly dropped Jiro in the process (although he seemed to have gotten comfortable in holding her legs).

"Kargo…why are the lights on?" Sachiko asked.

"Err…I dunno…"

"Kargo…why are there moving shadows in my house?"

"Err…I dunno…"

"Kargo…do you think that my mother and grandfather might just be ghosts, and that they've come back to the house to keep me company?"

Kargo didn't reply to that one.

"You know," Jiro said, as he held on to her leg, "it could be burglars."

"Oh. What are burglars?"

Jiro looked up and groaned. "Just how the heck did _you_ manage to become a miko?"

"What's that got to do with anything?"

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

As it turned out, it wasn't burglars. To Sachiko's shock and surprise, some of the surviving villagers had taken up residence in the Muzai home. When they insisted that Goushi had told them to be here, Sachiko could not find the courage to ask them to return to their villages, though Jiro made a comment about "freeloaders."

She reminded herself to ask Kargo for the definition of the word.

From the condition of the house, they had only stayed in the sitting room. They did not go into any of the other rooms, only the kitchen and bathroom. Upon seeing her, the villagers had burst down crying, and had fallen to her feet.

"Miko," one elderly woman sobbed, "you must help us. We have no one else to turn to! Without your grandfather, we are afraid to go back to our villages…"

"But the evil men are gone," Sachiko said.

"Not so!" one of the old men cried out. "They came _back_, and killed many more! I'm positive that we're all that's left, and we survived mainly because we hid in the shrine."

Sachiko cried out in dismay; there were hardly more than ten people here. "This is all?" she asked, staring at each person. "Everyone else is…"

The villagers nodded.

"No…" Sachiko backed away from the villagers. "No…I failed again…"

"Shit," Kargo swore. "Sachi-chan, no. It's not your fault."

"Yeah…don't breakdown on us," Jiro said nervously.

Sachiko didn't listen. She fell to her knees, and buried her head in her hands. "No…I…I…"

"Goddamn it! Did any of you see what sort of weapon they were using?" Kargo asked, bending down to embrace Sachiko. "Where did it come from?"

The old man frowned. "I'm not sure…but I think it said Captain Corps…or maybe it was Capsule Corps…"

Sachiko and Kargo looked up, and stared at Jiro, one with shock and the other with anger.

Jiro didn't say anything. He could only stare open-mouthed at the old man.

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

**Kargo: Okay, rich boy, you have some serious explaining to do! Don't pull that, "I don't know anything about this!" crap on me! I don't believe your sister either, so—SACHIKO! What do you mean, you believe them? Oh, come on, we _so_ do not need them…much. Oh, okay, FINE! I'll work on my model. It won't take long, I promise. See? Arise, Insumo! Your creator calls you!**

**Read and review.**


	14. The Kutai Family, Day One

Disclaimer: I don't own DB, DBZ…you get the rest.

**_Chapter Fourteen: The Kutai Family, Day One_**

She was at a complete loss.

She was shocked, that much she could admit. However, she couldn't grasp at all the other feelings that were bubbling up inside of her. It was like a pot of thick stew, with the ingredients all blended together, all about to spill over. She couldn't tell what she was feeling towards Jiro, not only because she didn't want to, but because she didn't know what half of those emotions actually were.

Kargo, on the other hand, seemed to know exactly what he was feeling.

"You—you—TRAITOR!" Kargo grabbed the older boy by the collar of his shirt, his body quivering with anger. "You lying _bastard_! You were probably in on it, weren't you? You and that—that sister of yours! You…you…goddamned…" Kargo stopped, his fury preventing him from saying another word. His hands shook as he continued to grip Jiro's collar.

"Get…your hands…off." Jiro said, his voice dangerously soft. "And keep your mouth shut about my sister, freak." His ice blue eyes were narrowed to slits, and Sachiko could see that he was on the verge of exploding as he shoved Kargo off of him.

"Did…we miss something?" one of the elderly villagers asked. "Miko, what is going on? And who is that boy?" The old man pointed to Jiro (after throwing a fearful glance at Kargo) questioningly.

"This is Jiro," Sachiko said quietly, the pot of emotions still bubbling inside of her. "He's my friend, and he's helping me with an important task." Sachiko paused for a minute, before slowly adding, "He's…one of the important people in Capsule Corps."

Jiro threw an angry glare towards Sachiko, his eyes screaming, _why'd you tell them that for?_ However, before Sachiko could respond, the villagers quickly turned the older boy's attention towards them.

"You work for Capsule Corps?" one of the old woman exclaimed. "That means that you know what's going on! Out with it, boy! Why is your techno company trying to exterminate us?"

Jiro gave the old woman a look that made her falter in her stand. She gulped audibly, and turned away from his look. "Listen," Jiro growled, his eyes daring anyone else to challenge him, "I don't know what's going on, but you people are wrong. Capsule Corps isn't a company that develops weapons. We just make things for daily living, not weapons that could create a war! I don't know why you think Capsule Corps is involved in this, but you're all wrong."

"I saw it with my own eyes!" the old man from before yelled. "On one of their guns, it said, Capsule Corps!"

"You also said you thought it was _Captain_ Corps," Jiro retaliated. "You're all just a bunch of old, senile _nuts_. If you're going to accuse my company of something, have some real proof next time."

"_Your_ company?" The elders all stared at each other at this revelation. "_Your_ company?"

"Jiro!" The older boy jumped, and turned towards an angry Sachiko. For a moment, his cold look vanished, and was replaced with one of surprise. Sachiko's usually smiling face was stony enough to match any glare he could give.

This was something he was definitely not used to.

Without another word, she took his and Kargo's hands, and turned back to the elders with a forced smile. "I'll be right back," she said blandly. "I need a word with them." Her tail curled tightly around her waist, she pulled them with surprising force out of the sitting room, and out of the house.

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

When they reached the weed covered garden, she released their hands. She kept her back to them, and for several minutes, the boys could hear her take long, audible breaths.

_Inhale…exhale…inhale…exhale…innnnnnnnhale…exxxxxxxxhale._

"Um, Sachi-chan?" Kargo gently reached out and touched her shoulder. "Are you...okay?" _Of course she's not okay_, his mind hissed, as he kicked himself mentally. _She thinks that this whole mess is her fault…_He jerked himself back to reality when Sachiko slowly pushed his hand away.

"Jiro," Sachiko said quietly, still not looking at them. "Tell me what to do. I don't know whether or not I should believe you."

Jiro stared at her in shock. "Sachiko! Weren't you listening to me in there? I just said that my company doesn't make weapons!"

"That doesn't account for last time," Kargo interrupted. "Last time, _I_ saw a gun that had your company logo. I told you this before, remember?"

"Shut your fat green mouth, asshole!" Jiro yelled. Turning to Sachiko, he grabbed her shoulders and forced her to face him. "Damn it, kid! I'm telling you the truth! Sachiko!"

"Don't touch her!" Kargo yelled, and made a furious move towards Jiro when Sachiko stopped him with a look. She still refused to meet Jiro's eyes, however, and this irritated the older boy.

"Oh come on! Don't do this to me! I know I acted kind of like a jerk before—"

"Kind of?" Kargo repeated in disbelief.

"I said shut up! But Sachiko, please! You have to believe me! Dammit, look at me!" He shook her, and she shut her eyes tightly.

His voice sounded different to her. He sounded…afraid, almost. The internal pot was bubbling at a slower rate now, and she could feel the strange mix of emotions ebb away.

She wanted to believe him.

Swallowing hard, she opened her eyes, and stared at his mouth (for she couldn't bring herself to meet him eye-to-eye). "You…you swear that you didn't have anything to do with this?" she asked, her voice barely audible. "You…you swear that you knew nothing about this?"

Jiro sighed, and his features relaxed somewhat. "Dammit, kid. If I wanted to destroy your stone-age villages, I'd do it in a less messy way. Besides, you wouldn't give me any peace if I really _was_ behind this." He gave her a smirk, and Sachiko's lips twitched into a hint of a smile.

"So…so you promise, right?"

Jiro nodded, as a displeased look came across Kargo's features. "Promise. And if I'm wrong…I hope I get struck by a bolt of lightning."

Suddenly, a low rumble echoed throughout the night sky. Drops of rain began to hit the three on the tops of their heads, and Kargo pulled Sachiko away from Jiro.

"Sachiko might trust you," Kargo snapped, "but I don't. And from the looks of it, the gods don't seem to like you much, either."

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

Sachiko had to shield Jiro with her body when they went back in the house, for fear of the villagers mauling him. Of course, she also had to shield the villagers from Jiro as well, for while she trusted him in matters concerning the villages, she didn't trust him in matters concerning _interaction_ with the village elders.

Then…there was another problem.

"So where's my bed?" Jiro asked as they all headed upstairs. "Just to let you know, I'm not sleeping with those old people. They smell."

"You don't exactly smell pleasant yourself, rich boy," Kargo muttered.

"I thought I told you to shut your mouth!"

"Guys, please!" Sachiko cried. "Try not to fight for one night! I'm just asking for _one night_!"

Both boys glanced at each other, snorted, and turned away with a frown. Sachiko sighed.

"Good grief. At least I tried. Now, there are three rooms up here. One's my room, one's my grandpa's, and the last one's Okaasan's." Sachiko led the boys to the room on the farthest left, and opened the door. "This is Grandfather's."

Jiro peered into the room, and immediately, his face paled. The room was completely bare. There was no furniture in the room at all, save a small closet in the corner and a mirror leaning against the far wall. A small straw pallet was on the brown floor, and next to the pallet was a picture frame of a woman and a man, wearing traditional wedding clothes.

"Didn't your gramps ever hear of a bed?" Jiro asked, wrinkling his nose in disgust, He knelt to the floor and touched it. "Oh gods…is this _dirt_?"

"Grandfather tried to connect more with past ages," Sachiko explained. "If he had his way, he'd have us all move out to a hut in one of the villages, but Okaasan would never agree to that."

"Hm." Jiro glanced around the room, before shaking his head. "No way kid. I'm not sleeping here."

Sachiko frowned. "There aren't that many other rooms…"

"Say, where are you sleeping, freak?" Jiro asked. "I haven't heard a peep out of you about room arrangements."

"What are you talking about?" Sachiko asked. "Kargo-kun's sleeping with me in my bed!"

"WHAT?" Jiro stared at Kargo in shock, as the Namek attempted to hide a blush. "He's—he's _sleeping_ with you?"

Sachiko tilted her head, confused. "Is that bad? Why are you getting so upset? Kargo and I slept together lots of times when we were little. We even used to take baths together. We haven't done that for a while, though…Hey Kargo!" Sachiko peered at Kargo's face, which was a dark purple now. "What's wrong with your face? Do you feel hot?"

Kargo mumbled something, but it was unintelligible.

"Oh, hell no!" Jiro yelled. "I am not letting you and the freak sleep in the same room!"

"Why not?" Sachiko asked, clueless as to what the older boy was so mad about. "If you want to sleep with us in my room, then go ahead. I'll just set up another blanket in my bed…"

"That is _not_ what I meant!" Jiro yelled. "Don't you get why I'm upset?"

"No! If you'd just explain it to me—"

"Forget it! Me and the freak will sleep in the same room, okay? We'll both sleep in your mother's room."

Sachiko glanced at the still-blushing Kargo, who suddenly found the floor very interesting. "Are you guys sure?" she asked Jiro uncertainly. "I mean, you two won't try to fight, will you?"

"As long as the freak doesn't try anything, I'll be on my best behavior. Scout's honor."

Kargo's face returned to its normal color as he looked up and scowled. "Like _you_ were ever a scout."

Jiro growled, but said nothing when Sachiko let out a loud sigh.

Shaking her head, she went to the room on the farthest right, and opened the door. This room was a huge difference from the other; although it was smaller, there were several gadgets all over the floor. A large, king-sized mattress was placed in the side of the room, and a small television set was placed on the dresser. A stereo system was set up in the corner of the room, and a laptop computer sat in the middle the bed.

A large smile had spread through Kargo's face on the sight of Taka's room, and Jiro, who seemed much happier with the modern touches, bounded into the room and picked up the nearest gadget within reach. "This is one of the Vidwatches!" Jiro exclaimed, looking the product over. "They're visual phones that you can wear on your wrist! Capsule Corps just designed them a couple of months ago. We issued a special edition to the police force. Aw, it's broken…" Jiro looked at Sachiko. "Was your mom a cop?"

The small girl, who had lingered by the door nervously, slowly nodded. "She was the best," she said softly. "She would always bring home medals, and sometimes she would buy me a candy or cake when she got back from West City." Sachiko stopped, looking away.

"Change the topic, dumbass," Kargo whispered harshly. "Her _other-may_ is _ead-day_."

"Her mother…is dead…oh!" Jiro threw a hasty look at Sachiko. "I mean, oh boy, am I tired!" The older boy faked a yawn as he plopped down onto the bed. "I guess I'll sleep now. Gotta wake up early if we're heading for the city tomorrow. Night kid."

Sachiko gave Jiro a small smile. "Goodnight Jiro." She turned to Kargo and gave him a hug. "Nighty-night, Kargo-kun."

"Err…good night." Kargo muttered, as Sachiko let go and left. He closed the door behind her, and looked back at Jiro, who had stretched lazily out on the bed. Sighing, he turned off the lights, and walked over to the mattress, shoving Jiro unceremoniously to the side as he lay down.

"Hey!" Jiro yelled as he shoved Kargo back. "_I'm_ sleeping on the bed!"

"Well, I'm not sleeping on the ground!" Kargo retorted. "So either deal with it, or you can get your ass on the floorboards!"

"Why you—"

"Would you rather I sleep with _Sachiko_?" Kargo asked sardonically. "Would you rather I sleep, snuggled under the blankets, in _her_ bed?" _Not that I mind_, he thought to himself.

"You perverted bitch," Jiro hissed, but said nothing more. He just scooted to the far side of the bed, and turned his back to Kargo. The Namek sighed.

This was gonna be a long night.

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

The next morning couldn't have come quickly enough for the boys. Neither of them was really able to sleep—they kept waking up, thinking that the other would attack him, or that one was trying to sneak out of the room unnoticed.

It was no surprise that both boys had large, dark bags under their eyes by the time they left the house.

"Bye!" Sachiko cried, as she waved at the village elders. Walking backwards, she kept waving until the forest covered the elders from view. "Bye! Don't worry about me! Bye! Be safe and healthy! Bye! I'll miss you all—"

"They _get_ it!" Jiro yelled as they reached the path that led to West City. "Enough with the sentimental farewells, already!"

Sachiko pouted. "I just wanted to say goodbye."

"That wasn't saying goodbye. That was being an annoying pain in the—"

"Shut up!" Kargo yelled, irritation evident in his voice. "I don't have the energy to deal with you today, so keep that dirty mouth of yours shut!"

Jiro glowered at Kargo, but said nothing. Instead, he pulled out a small case from one of his pockets, and opened it, revealing several small bottles, all with buttons on top.

"What are those?" Sachiko asked, fascinated.

"These," Jiro said as he picked one of the bottles, "are capsules." He pressed the button, and threw the capsule into the ground. With a loud _pop_, the capsule released a large cloud of smoke, and within seconds, a hovercraft stood where the capsule once was.

"Oh wow!" Sachiko looked over the vehicle with marvel. "How did you do that? Show me again, show me again!"

"Not now," Jiro moaned, as he pushed her onto the craft. "My head really hurts, and I just wanna go home. All aboard." He paused, before he turned to Kargo with a smirk. "I suppose you can come along too, freak."

Kargo's eye twitched. "Whatever, rich boy."

"So Jiro," Sachiko said as she sat on one of the velvet-blue seats. "Do you think your parents and sister are gonna be mad? I mean, we were gone for a long time…"

"Don't sweat it. I mean, I tend to disappear every now and then. How mad could they be?"

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

"JIRO SANSAI KUTAI! WHERE THE HELL HAVE YOU BEEN?"

Though Jiro was the only one being yelling at, all three of the youths trembled at Hideaki's fury. Sachiko whimpered and hid behind Kargo, who whimpered and hid behind a large potted plant in Hideaki's office.

Unfortunately, Jiro didn't have the luxury of hiding.

"Sis, I can explain—" he began, but his sister quickly cut him off.

"DON'T YOU TALK, YOU SWINE! YOU'VE BEEN GONE FOR ALMOST A MONTH! _A MONTH_! MOTHER WAS GOING THROUGH THE ROOF! AND YOU KNOW WHO SHE BLAMED? SHE BLAMED _ME_!"

Hideaki stopped, and took several deep breaths as Jiro wiped the spittle from his face. She growled, and looked at the plant, where Sachiko and Kargo were hiding, shaking.

"She's scary," Sachiko whimpered.

"Shhhh! She can hear us!"

"Come out here!" Hideaki yelled, her ice blue eyes narrowing. "I have something to say to you two as well!"

A frightened gasp came from behind the plant. "Kargo! She wants us to come out! What do we do?"

"Quiet! I'm trying to figure that that out!"

Hideaki lost all patience. "GET YOUR REAR ENDS OUT HERE—NOW!"

Silence fell behind the plant. Then, slowly, Kargo trodded out from the (non-effective) safety of his leafy shields, pulling along a terrified Sachiko with him. "Um…hey," Kargo said lamely, as the small girl froze in her tracks. "Um…how've you been?"

"Not well, thanks to you three," Hideaki replied nastily. "Just where the hell have you all been, eh? I've checked every city for miles, and I couldn't find my brother anywhere!"

"We…weren't in a city," Kargo said slowly.

"Then where? I know you guys couldn't have been in those feudal villages. Jiro can't live without technology."

"Got that right," Kargo muttered, which earned him a glare from Jiro. Sachiko, who had been immobile for the past few moments, finally regained the use of her tongue.

"W-we've been in Otherworld," she blurted out. Hideaki blinked.

"Other what?"

"O-otherworld. It's a place where the dead souls go, and—"

"Hold it! Stop right there! You've been to a place where dead people go?"

Sachiko nodded shakily, and clung to Kargo's arm.

Hideaki stared at Sachiko. Then to Kargo. Then to Jiro. Then she blinked. "O…kay. Jiro, have you and these kids been doing drugs?"

"What? NO!" Jiro stared at his sister incredulously. "There really is a place like that, sis! We all went to a place full of dead guys, to figure out how to make the dragonballs!" He frowned when Hideaki gave him a look of disbelief, and yelled, "I'm not making this up! I'm _serious_!"

"Oh, fine!" Hideaki cried, throwing her hands in the air. "Let's say I believe your story for the time being. But let's talk about the dragonballs. Pray tell me, have you been able to make them?" She stared hard at Kargo, who gulped nervously.

"Almost…"

"Almost? So you haven't finished yet, am I right?"

"N-no…"

Hideaki's lips thinned unpleasantly. "In that case…I just that I should just put the Dragon Radar back into storage!"

"Wait a minute sis!" Jiro said, staring at his sister in shock. "You've actually made the thing? You found the file for it?"

"Yes Jiro, I found the file for it. I even updated it, so that it could be more compatible with modern technology. But that's not the point!" She glared at the three, her nostrils flaring slightly. "The point is that you've all made my life very miserable, and I see no point in helping you any further!"

At this outburst, Sachiko and Kargo were reduced to stunned silence. Jiro, on the other hand, became absolutely furious.

"Oh, come on!" he yelled. "You can't do that to us! Don't be such a bitch!"

"Oh, nice way to bargain!" Hideaki said sarcastically. "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't, little brother. Mother has been less than pleased with me for a month. Father didn't really care…he thought you were out with that Brittany girl…but anyway! When we get home, I'm going to make _sure_ that your life gets just as miserable as mine! Maybe even worse! And you can forget about the Dragon Radar!"

"If you do that," Kargo piped up suddenly, "then I'll go to the press!"

This caused both Jiro and Hideaki to fall silent. "The press?" the older asked in confusion. "What for?"

"There's been another attack on the villages," Kargo said, confidence slowly returning to his voice. "And there's reason to believe that your company had a hand in it, yet again."

"Goddamn it, freak!" Jiro yelled. "I told you that we had nothing to do with it!"

Kargo grimaced. "Maybe, maybe not. It won't matter much to tabloid reporters, now will it? I mean, a nice, juicy story like that will certainly ruin your company's reputation. I can see it now—'Capsule Corps slays innocent feudal civilians! Survivors live to witness mega-company's underhanded involvement in the slaughter of the elderly!' Doesn't that sound interesting?"

Both Hideaki and Jiro paled. "Y-you wouldn't," Hideaki whispered, as Jiro gave Kargo a murderous glare.

"Try me," Kargo said. "I'll be willing to keep quiet, of course, if you cooperate with us. We've had a long, long month, and I just want to get this over with. What_ now,_ Sachiko?" Kargo moaned as the small girl tugged at his sleeve.

"Kargo," Sachiko whispered audibly, "what are tab-loin reporters?"

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

"So," the platinum blonde woman said slowly, "you were staying at these—these _people's_ home for one month?" She gave a wary look towards Sachiko and Kargo (who had his hood up) and scooted to the far side of the red sofa.

Jiro nodded uneasily, as Sachiko's tail swished back and forth in the air. "Um…yeah. I, eh, wanted to know more about the feudal villages, to see why they disliked technology so much. I thought that maybe I could, eh, make them change their minds about us…and stuff." He looked away as Sachiko gave him a frown.

"Good for you, son!" the dark haired man roared, and clapped his son on the back. "Thinking like a business man already! Spreading the word, and selling our technology—that's my boy!"

"Dad, _please_," Jiro said, his face flushing. "Don't get excited. Your mustache gets all goofy when you're excited."

Mr. Kutai snorted, but smoothed his dark mustache out anyway. He turned his gaze towards Sachiko, who had been looking around the large mansion with amazement. "Like the view?" he asked pleasantly.

Sachiko smiled, and nodded. "Your home is really big and pretty!" she exclaimed. "It's bigger than twenty villages combined! You must have at least three hundred people living here, Kutai-san!"

Mrs. Kutai humphed. "We most certainly do _not_," she said stiffly. "This home is only for me, my husband, and my children. Even the servants aren't allowed to stay here. They leave after their shift."

Sachiko cocked her head. "S-shift?"

"Their working hours," Mrs. Kutai answered. "My goodness, child, don't they teach you anything at that barbaric village of yours?"

"Barbaric?"

"Excuse me for saying this, ma'am," Kargo said, his voice hinting at anger, "but that's a bit much for someone who's never set foot into one of those _barbaric_ villages."

"Lunch time!" Hideaki said loudly, laughing nervously as the tension grew in the room. "It's...um...time for lunch! Let's all go out to eat! I mean, it's not often that Jiro brings home his f-friends, right Mother? Father?" She looked pleadingly at Mr. Kutai, who roared with laughter.

"Absolutely right!" Mr. Kutai agreed. "It's a rare occasion for Jiro to bring home his friends! Especially a pretty, young lady like Miss Sachiko!"

"Err, dad," Jiro said nervously, "I don't think eating out is such a good idea. You don't know what sort of appetite Sachiko has."

"Oh, pooh! I want to eat out, boy! And you shouldn't comment on a woman's eating habits! Be more like me, your old man! That way, you'll get yourself a good, sweet, beautiful woman like the one I have here." Mr. Kutai placed an arm around his wife's shoulder and winked at her.

"Oh please, dear. He could do so much better that…_this_." She glanced distastefully at Sachiko. "And really, are we really going to let them stay here a week? What will the women at the Country Club think when they find out that our son's been mingling with…_primitive_ children?"

Kargo growled, and tried to stand up, but Hideaki placed a hand on his shoulder, and gave him a warning glare.

"MOM!" Jiro cried, staring at his mother in disbelief. "_Come on_! You can make fun of him—" he jerked a thumb at Kargo, whose jaw hit the floor at this betrayal "—but show some respect to Sachiko!"

"W-what's going on?" Sachiko asked nervously.

"Protecting his lady friend!" Mr. Kutai observed. "That's good. That's really good."

"I'm just voicing my opinion, dear," Mrs. Kutai said, frowning at her son's attitude. "In a democratic society, we _are_ allowed to do that."

"Well, off to lunch!" Mr. Kutai interrupted. "We'll go to one of those hip, cool new places that you young people like. I've always wanted to try eating at a four star restaurant, instead of a five."

Jiro stood up and shook his head. "Maybe later, dad. I want to show my friends their rooms."

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

As soon as they stepped inside one of the guest rooms, Kargo slammed the door shut with a loud _bang_!

"Damn it!" Kargo hissed. "Your insults are one thing, rich boy. At least I could handle them. But your mother—can't she even wait until we're out of the room before she trashes us?"

"Hey, that's who she is!" Jiro retorted. "I can't change that about her, so live with it and shut up. Besides, it wasn't really _you_ she was looking down on." Jiro tossed a quick glance at Sachiko, who was jumping up and down on the large featherbed.

"Wow!" she squealed, oblivious to the boys' conversation. "This bed is great! Better than sleeping on the floor!"

Kargo sighed, and gave Jiro a hard look. "Well, at least I know who you take after."

"Shut the fuck up!"

The Namek snickered, before his face turned serious. "I'll start working on the model tonight," he said. "If I'm lucky, I'll be done by tomorrow and then we can _leave_."

"Tomorrow?" Sachiko hopped off the bed and went over to Kargo and Jiro. "I thought we were staying the week!"

"On the record, you are," Jiro explained. "But my mother will…how can I say this? She'll tend to be bitchy about it the whole time you're here."

"W-why?"

Jiro frowned. "Well…it's complicated. But don't worry, kid. Just stay close to me or Hideaki, and out of her way. Then she'll leave you alone…more or less."

"Hey rich boy," Kargo interrupted, "do you have any clay?"

"I dunno. Why?"

"Well, I need the clay to make the model, dumbass!" Kargo yelled.

"Don't call me dumbass, you son-of-a-bitch!" Jiro screamed. "At least I'm not the one who's homeless!"

"Guys, please stop fighting!" Sachiko cried. "We're gonna get in trouble!"

"Hey!"

All three youths stopped shouting, and turned to the door, here Hideaki was standing. Sachiko and Kargo stared at her in awe; Hideaki was wearing a pink dress, and had her light blue hair tied into an elegant twist. Her lipstick-red lips thinning, she gave them a weary look as she said, "Guys, change into something nice, and come downstairs. Mother and Father are going to that restaurant now, and you know how Mother hates to be kept waiting…"

"I thought we were going four-star," Jiro said, grimacing at the thought of dressing up.

"Well, Mother changed her mind. It's five-star now."

"But I don't have any pretty dresses!" Sachiko yelped.

"It's okay," Hideaki reassured her. "I'll lend you one of the dresses I used to wear when I was little. And Kargo, Jiro will give you one of his suits."

"Excuse me?" Jiro raised a brow. "I'm not lending the freak my clothes. It'll get freak germs all over it."

Kargo snorted. "I wouldn't wear your clothes, even if you paid me."

"Ha! You _wish_ you could wear my clothes!"

"Forget it!" Kargo yelled. "I'm not going to the restaurant," he said to Hideaki. "My kind doesn't need to eat. Anyway, I need to start working on the model for the dragonballs."

Hideaki's eyes lit up with interest at the fact that Kargo didn't need to eat, but she said nothing about it. "So what should I tell them when they ask about you?"

"Tell them I'm not feeling well. Tell them that I'm sick."

Hideaki nodded, and turned to Sachiko with a small grin. "Well kid, we should find you something to wear. I think yellow would look good on you…and maybe a yellow ribbon in your hair, to match!"

"Hey Hideaki-chan?" Sachiko asked.

"Yeah?"

"Why are we going to a restaurant with five stars inside it? Stars are big balls of gas, so won't they burn us into ashes if we get too close?"

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

"May I take your order, Miss?"

Sachiko looked up from her menu. She gulped, and nervously played with the hem of her yellow dress. Hungry as she was, she had no idea what to order. The menu was so confusing! All these foreign city foods! What was a Tournedos Wellington? Orange Almond Bisque? Asparagus Mousse? There were no pictures either, so she couldn't even tell if the food _looked_ appetizing or not.

"What's the matter, girl?" Mrs. Kutai asked, adjusting her white stole against her white. "Are you having trouble ordering a simple meal? It's no wonder that your hoodlum friend decided to stay at the mansion. Can't even order food at a restaurant."

Sachiko winced at the annoyed tones in Mrs. Kutai's voice, but could say nothing.

"Oh, be gentle with her, Miyuki!" Mr. Kutai said. He smiled at Sachiko, and said to the waiter, "Just bring us five full-course meals. Money is not an option."

"Yes sir," the waiter said, as he gave Mr. Kutai a deep bow and walked away.

"There! No more problems."

"For heaven's sake Yuji!" Mrs. Kutai cried. "How can we possibly finish five full-course meals? We'll all gain unnecessary calories!"

"Hmph! You women and your bodies! You should eat more, anyway. You're turning into a scarecrow before my very eyes, you and Hideaki!"

"Oh Father," Hideaki moaned, hiding her face behind her hands.

Mr. Kutai laughed, before turning to Sachiko and Jiro. "Well, at least my son will be able to eat like a man! Gotta eat that protein, to get the brain and muscles moving!"

Jiro sighed, and tugged at the shirt collar of his suit.

"And Sachiko-chan! What about you? Are you like my wife and daughter—scarecrows?"

Sachiko laughed, which earned her an unnoticed glare from Mrs. Kutai. "I like to eat!" she said. "My grandfather and mother always tells me that I eat more than Japan's whole army in one sitting!"

"Good for you!" Mr. Kutai roared, causing other tables to stare at them. "The great Goushi Muzai's granddaughter, and a miko with an appetite! I love that!" He then lowered his voice, and leaned closer towards the small girl. "You know, I fought your grandfather once, when he came to the World Martial Art's Tournament. I was a teenager, and he knocked me flat on my bottom, he did. Ah, the good old days…"

Ignoring her father, Hideaki gazed at Sachiko in a mixture of amazement and disbelief. "Sachiko, how can you eat that much? You look so skinny! Where does all that food go?"

Sachiko smiled. "In my tummy, of course! Where else would it go? Ooh! The food's here!"

"Five full-course meals," the waiter said, as he and four other men pulled up five carts of steaming food. "Enjoy, sirs and madams, and thank you for choosing to eat at our restaurant."

"Alright!" Sachiko cheered, and before the waiters were even done setting the plates, Sachiko began to tear into the Tournedos Wellington, the food disappearing so quickly that in seconds, the meat-filled pastries were gone. "More please!" Sachiko said cheerfully, oil dripping from her sauce covered mouth.

Hideaki, Mr. Kutai, and Mrs. Kutai stared at her in a mixture of fascination and horror. Jiro didn't stare—he simply took a napkin and wiped Sachiko's mouth, sighing as he did so.

Well…no one could say that he didn't try to warn them.

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

"It was really nice of your parents to spend all that money for lunch,' Sachiko said as they made their way towards Kargo's room.

Jiro winced—had Sachiko been more aware of the people around her, she would have seen that his mother was close to exploding. Mrs. Kutai had not been pleased at all to have a gluttonous girl at her table, especially one who ate for four hours. When the entire restaurant turned to stare at the growing pile of dishes, she had left the table and had not come back until the waiter came with the check.

Which had totaled to five hundred thousand zenni.

Thankfully, his mother had not begun ranting yet. However, he knew that they would not be going out to any more restaurants for a good while.

He groaned internally. This wasn't even the first day. No way were they going to last for a week. _Hopefully_, he thought, _the freak is almost done, and we can leave._

As they opened the door, they found Kargo sitting cross-legged on the floor, hunched over a lump of gray mass. Sachiko bounded in, her yellow dress flying out behind her, and sat on the floor next to the Namek, who looked up with tired eyes.

"Kargo-kun!" she greeted. "How's it going?" Is it starting to look like a dragon yet?"

Kargo said nothing. Instead, he brought the lump out in full view, and looked away. Sachiko cringed.

"Oh…my…"

The clay looked as if it had been molded several times. A irregular sphere made up what appeared to be the torso of the creature, and sticking out were four rolls of mush that apparently served as the arms and legs. A long, worm-like mass stuck out from the bottom, probably the tail, and another worm-like mass made the neck, which was attached to a misshapen head. If you could call it a head. On the floor, there were two lumps of clay that sort-of-kind-of looked like wings.

And that was all.

"It…um…looks good," Sachiko said, trying and failing to sound cheerful.

Jiro couldn't bring himself to do the same. Staring at Kargo directly in the eye, he said flatly, "It looks like shit, freak."

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

**Jiro: Well…this isn't good. Freak, you have to make it look better! Can't you take art classes, or something? I can't keep Sachiko away from my mother forever. FINALLY! You got it! Hey, wait a minute! Where are they going? WHAT? We have to look for them? You son-of-a-bitch! Oh, come on, Hideaki! You're not coming with us!**


	15. A Mother's Misunderstanding Really Sucks

Disclaimer: I'm a poor student. How could I possibly own this great anime?

A/N: Yes, this is a bit of a filler chapter. But since Jiro's popularity is rising faster than I expected, here's a chapter Jiro fans might like! It makes fun of every romance story I've seen in my life. Parody ahoy!

Thanks to all reviewers.

_**Chapter Fifteen: A Mother's Misunderstanding Really Sucks**_

Sachiko's eyes darted nervously from Jiro to Kargo, the latter of which was growling unpleasantly as he slowly rose to his feet.

And she just had to be in the middle of them…

"Just what exactly have you been doing while we were gone?" Jiro asked, looking distastefully at the poorly molded lumps of clay. "A _baby_ could have done a better job than this." He kicked at one of the wings, twisting the soft material even further.

"Stop that!" Sachiko cried, and picked up the wing. "Kargo, it doesn't look that bad! Maybe if we just smooth it out a little more, it would look…better!" She began to roll the clay expertly in her hands. "Aiko-san and I used to do this with river clay all the time. Maybe if I just do _this—_"

Before she could finish, Kargo snatched the gray mass out of her hands and tossed it to the floor. "Forget it," Kargo growled, his eyes hardening as he stared at the failed statue. "It won't work if someone other than a Namekian makes the model. Besides, I'm the only one who knows what the dragon's gonna look like, so I'm the only one who's allowed to make the dragon's statue. Otherwise, the dragonballs won't appear."

"Oh…" Sachiko looked down at her now gray hands. "I see…"

"So much for getting out of here early," Jiro mumbled. He crossed his arms and glared at the Namek. "If it's not one thing, it's another, eh freak?"

Kargo narrowed his eyes darkly. "Just what are you saying?"

"That you're unstable, unorganized, and unreliable. Also, you're stupid, crazy, incompetent, and…oh yeah! _Dead_ _ugly_."

Although Sachiko didn't understand all of the words Jiro used, she knew enough to glance worriedly at Kargo, and prayed silently to Amaterasu that her green friend wouldn't start screaming profanities loud enough for the entire household to hear. She shut her eyes and waited.

Silence. Pure, unbroken, yet _tense_ silence.

Not one curse left the Namek's lips. In fact, he didn't even say anything at all. Sachiko opened her eyes cautiously and turned towards Kargo, finding him bent down as he picked up one of the lumps of clay. She watched nervously as he stood up, tossing the clay lightly into the air several times—before he flung it as hard as he could at Jiro's head.

SPLAT.

What happened next was a blur for the poor girl.

When Hideaki, Mr. Kutai, and Mrs. Kutai burst into the room upon hearing the screams, they were shocked to find the three youths rolling violently on the ground, a much disheveled Sachiko stuck in between two fury-blinded boys. Said boys were trying to claw the other's eyes out, while attempting to shove Sachiko out of the way.

"Ow! OW! Guys, please _stop_!"

"SACHI, GET OUT OF THE WAY! I'M GONNA KILL THAT FUCKIN' SON-OF-A-BITCH!"

"SHUT UP, YOU FREAK OF NATURE! LEAVE MY MOTHER OUT OF THIS!"

None of them realized that during the scuffle, the model had been thoroughly trampled on.

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

One thing Kargo could say about Hideaki's room was that it was very _pink_. From the walls to the bed sheets to the carpeting on the floor…everything was very, very pink.

Holding the cotton ball carefully in her hand, Hideaki wiped away the blood from Kargo's cut lip, sighing and clicking her tongue in disapproval every so often. After the fifteenth click, Kargo jerked his head away from Hideaki's hand and gave her an angry glare.

"If you're going to lecture me, forget it," he snarled. "I'm not sorry I fought your asshole brother. I enjoyed every punch and scratch I gave him."

Hideaki's snorted. "I bet Sachiko loved the punches and scratches too." Kargo looked up in surprise, but Hideaki ignored him and continued. "In fact, she must be absolutely _ecstatic_ about those scratches and bruises on her arms and face. You two idiots hurt _her_ more than each other. What do you have to say to that, hmm?"

At this Kargo paled and looked down, biting his lip. Damn it, he hadn't intended for Sachiko to get hurt. He hadn't even realized that she was in the way. He had been too occupied with permanently ripping out the idiot teenager's mouth.

"You better hope that Jiro's able to calm my mother down," Hideaki said, jerking Kargo from his thoughts. "With the mood she's been in lately, she's ready to chop off a few heads. And because of the whole restaurant incident, my best bet is that she'll go for Sachiko…poor kid."

"What? Why?" Kargo stared at Hideaki in disbelief. "What did Sachiko do? She's never done anything wrong!"

"Well, she did cost us a few hundred thousand in the restaurant…and I have a very sneaky suspicion that my mother knows that Jiro likes Sachiko."

"_WHAT_?" All the blood in Kargo's body rushed to his head, and for a minute he felt very dizzy…and nauseated. "That's crazy! You're crazy! Jiro doesn't like Sachiko! They don't even know each other that well! I know her better than anyone! I won't allow this! I _won't_!"

Hideaki, who was a bit taken aback at the Namek's outburst, raised a curious brow. "Well," she said coyly, "I can't speak on Sachiko's behalf, but as for my brother…well, this really is the first time he's been around a girl for over two weeks _willingly_. He even brought her _here_, of all places. I mean, I know it's mainly because of the dragonballs, but I have to admit…anyone with eyes can see that although Sachiko might not be pretty, she's very _cute_. Tail and all."

"NO!" Kargo snapped. "No more talking about this! _No more_!" The Namek gritted his teeth, and stared hard at the pink carpeting below him.

Hideaki chuckled, and went back to cleaning Kargo's cut. "Well anyway…it's too bad. Mother won't let _city_ girls go near Jiro if she thinks he might actually like them back. Sachiko comes from the feudal villages. It's gonna be a massacre."

"Y-you're kidding, right?"

"Well, _you_ could be right. Jiro might not like Sachiko at all. It could just be one big misunderstanding on Mother's part."

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

"The nerve of that—that—unruly boy! How dare he touch your beautiful face!"

Jiro winced as his mother slapped a cold, raw piece of meat over his black eye. Drips of blood oozed down his cheek as he reluctantly held the steak to his face, while watching his mother pace back and forth furiously across the kitchen as she wiped her greasy hands against her skirt.

"Who does that punk think he's impressing anyway, with that atrocious green body paint? And those fake ears and antennas…Oh, this is the end!" his mother cried suddenly. "I'm going to nip this thing in the bud! I refuse to allow those rascals shelter under this roof any longer! I'm sending them home! NOW!"

Jiro's good eye widened in shock. "Mom! You can't be serious!"

"I have never been more serious in my life! Those two pieces of trash are no good for you! And don't even get me started on that little miko _whore_!" Mrs. Kutai spat out the last word as if it was poison. "I saw her, rolling around on the floor with you and that boy! Her skirt all bunched up, her hair so…so…messy! Why, I ought to…to…OOOH!" Mrs. Kutai stomped her foot angrily against the kitchen floor.

"Come on, mom!" Jiro yelled, tossing the meat aside in frustration. "Sachiko's not like that! I mean, she can't be older than—" Jiro paused for a minute "—nine or ten! I don't think she knows that a word like 'sex' even exists. Oh, mom." Jiro gave her a pleading look. "Let them stay. Please? I promise that there'll be no more fights. We were just angry because I broke the green one's model. It was a present for his dad, but I didn't know until a few minutes ago…please? Let them stay?"

Mrs. Kutai sniffed haughtily, but her gaze softened somewhat. "Well…I suppose. Just tell me one thing, dear."

"What, mom?"

"You're not _interested_ in the girl, are you?"

Jiro reddened, and even his bad eye widened at the question. "Hell no! She's just a kid! Why would I like a kid? I mean, she's not even that good-looking. She's not even that _smart_, and she's just a kid! You're crazy, mom. You're really crazy. Me, like a kid? You're crazy…"

As Jiro blathered on, Mrs. Kutai frowned. Despite her son's denial, there was _something_ she didn't like about the girl. The fact that Sachiko Muzai came from the feudal villages, and the fact that she had a freaking _tail_ didn't help matters, but there was something else…something which put her on high alert.

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

"Ow!"

Sachiko's cries echoed through the gigantic bathroom as Mr. Kutai poured alcohol over her scratches. Grabbing a wet cloth from the sink, he quickly began to rub her red arms soothingly as she sniffed back a tear.

"It hurts now, but you'll feel better later," Mr. Kutai said reassuringly.

"I-it's okay," Sachiko hiccupped. "The h-herbs that Grandpa uses h-hurt a lot more than t-this." She brushed away a few tears and gave the older man a weak smile. "It feels better already."

"What were those boys fighting about?" Mr. Kutai asked as he poured ointment into his hand. "It had to be really bad if you couldn't stop them physically."

"It wasn't…I mean, they kind of always…I mean…" Sachiko drifted off, unsure of what to say.

"It's kind of hard to believe that they're friends," Mr. Kutai commented.

Sachiko cringed. How could she explain this? "Well," she said carefully, "they're kind of friends, but kind of not. They're together…because of me."

Mr. Kutai's mustache ruffled slightly as he rubbed the ointment into her arms. "Oh really? Did they, eh, fight over you, my dear?"

Sachiko shook her head, and gave him a confused look. "Why would they fight over me?" she asked. "I haven't done anything bad to them, have I?"

"Hmm? Oh no! Ah, just forget I said that." Mr. Kutai stood up and washed the remnants of the cream off of his hands. "So! What do you plan to do after your week here?"

"W-what do you mean?"

"I mean, will you go back to the village? Or will you stay here with us for a while longer? I've heard that the villages near this city were under constant attacks recently." Mr. Kutai paused for a moment, before adding quietly, "I heard that your grandfather and mother were among the victims."

A tremor went through Sachiko's stomach. She had blocked it from her mind all this time…why did he have to remind her of that? She looked down at the white bathroom tiles, and shut her eyes.

_Don't cry,_ she told herself. _Jiro's father is watching you. Don't cry. Don't cry._

A gentle hand touched her shoulder. Startled, she looked up and found herself face to face with Mr. Kutai. For a moment, she stared at the older man's eyes. They were so much like Jiro and Hideaki's, yet so much…softer. Sachiko felt a lump form in the back of her throat.

"I'm sorry," he said in a low voice. "I shouldn't have mentioned it. But…it just seems too dangerous to go back there. I don't want a child like yourself to get hurt in such a horrible situation."

Sachiko swallowed the lump. "I know. That's why I'm going to fix it."

Mr. Kutai gave Sachiko a questioning look, but she said nothing more. He stared at her for a few more minutes, before smiling.

He didn't ask her anything else after that.

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

The next several days were spent on very thin ice for Sachiko, Kargo, and Jiro.

The main reason of their distress lay with the fact that Kargo was unable to make a suitable model of his dragon. Each attempt only ended with a figure that looked worse than its predecessor, and it reached the point where Kargo's first model looked like Michelangelo's David compared to his latest dragon…clay….thing.

When the house echoed with howls and curses, everyone but Mr. and Mrs. Kutai knew that Kargo had failed again.

Unfortunately, Sachiko and Jiro did not fare any better. After the first night, both youths found themselves under near-constant surveillance, either by Mrs. Kutai herself, or one of the servants who worked directly under her. If they so much as _breathed_ in each other's direction, Mrs. Kutai would be on them like a lioness after its prey.

The blonde woman would especially target Sachiko. When said woman found Sachiko in precarious situations, like being in the master bedroom while praying in front of the mirror, she took Jiro aside and spoke to him about the dangerous of witchcraft and insane women.

The surveillance treatment became so restricting that in the end, the only way for the two to actually talk was if they both hid in the broom closet at two o'clock in the morning, when everyone was sound asleep.

This did not sit well with Jiro. While Kargo was preoccupied with the model, he had planned on taking the opportunity to learn a technique that he still didn't have—flying. There had not been time to learn from Vegeta in Otherworld, and Hell would freeze over before he'd ask Kargo for lessons. That left Sachiko…but unfortunately, the cramped closet was not the ideal place to train.

"Sachiko, we've got to find another place to meet," Jiro whispered as he locked the door shut. "I can barely focus my ki in here. Flying's totally out of the question."

"Ugh…" Sachiko's head bobbed slightly as her eyes drooped in weariness. "Shweepy…"

"Wake up, goddamn it!" Jiro hissed, as he shook the girl awake. "We've got to figure out where I can train!"

"Ugh…"

"Sachiko!"

"Oh…can't we just train in that exercise room in your office?" Sachiko moaned, resting her head on Jiro's shoulder. "We can ask your dad to—to—help us." She covered her mouth as she stifled a yawn.

Jiro stared at her in disbelief. "You expect me to fly in front of my dad? You out of your mind? There's a reason why we didn't tell him or my mother about the dragonballs, you know!"

"We don't have to tell your mother," Sachiko said sleepily. "We could just tell your dad. He seems really…nice…"

Jiro paused for a moment. "Well, that's true…but what exactly am I supposed to say to him? He's not exactly the most clear-headed guy in the world."

Silence.

"Sachiko?" Jiro looked down at the girl resting on his shoulder, and shook her slightly. "Hey, kid. Wake up."

A snot bubble began to form out of one nostril. Jiro's left eye twitched as Sachiko's snot bubble grew and shrank with her breathing. Slowly, he leaned her body against the wall of the closet, and left her there as he went back to his room.

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

"Scrub the floor, _Brunhilda_! Wash the dishes, _Brunhilda_! Stick your head up my ass, _Brunhilda_! I swear, one of these days…POW! Right in that blonde bitch's kisser!"

The maid jabbed angrily at the empty air as she stomped towards the broom closet. Wrenching the door open, she reached for the mop in the back of the dark space—when her hand came in contact with something soft and warm.

"EEEEEEEEEK!" The maid jumped back as a small body tumbled face-first to the floor, locks of blue hair spilling all over the ground in disarray. Brunhilda, her mind numbed with horror, could only stare at the body stupidly.

_OhmygodohmygodohmygodOH-MY-GOD!_

The body didn't seem to be moving. Thoughts of murder, conspiracy, and forlorn love ran through Brunhilda's mind as she took a tentative step towards the child. She touched the girl's head with a shaking hand. No response.

It was true! The rumors of Mrs. Kutai killing girls that her son hung out with were TRUE! Oh god, she had to go to the police! She could take the body as evidence! But wait! How would she get the body out without being seen? Oh, Mrs. Kutai would kill her too! The horror! The pure, unadulterated, PG-13 _horror_!

Brunhilda was on the verge of running for a phone when a small moan came from the child. The maid nearly screamed her head off—the girl was still alive!

"Oh…my head…" The girl slowly got up on her hand and knees, and lifted her head, her unfocused eyes landing on the terrified Brunhilda. The child blinked for several minutes, before pulling herself to her feet. "Oh boy…wha' time izzit? Where am I?"

"Ah…ah…" Brunhilda took several steps back. "Ah…ah…"

The girl rubbed her eyes, and looked around. "Oh my…did I fall asleep here? Oh, darn it! That's a little embarrassing! Imagine if Mrs. Kutai saw me here! She'd kill me!"

"Ah…ah…"

Brunhilda could only stutter as the girl gave her a worried look. "Say…are you okay?" the girl asked. "You look like you've seen a demon spirit!"

"AAAAAGGGGGHHHH! ZOMBIES!" The maid turned and ran for all she was worth out of the house. No way was she staying in a house that had the living dead wandering inside.

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

Outside the kitchen, Mr. Kutai stared at his son in shock. "You three are doing _what_?"

"Shh!" Jiro stared worriedly at the kitchen door, before turning back to his father. "Geez dad, would you pipe down? I don't want mom to hear!"

"Alright, alright…but son…Dragonballs? Dragons? Spirits of the dead? This is all a bit much to go on…"

"You're missing the real point of the conversation!" Jiro hissed. "So is it okay? Can Sachiko come to work with us so that she can teach me how to fly?"

Mr. Kutai paused for a moment. "Um...son…you're not on drugs, are you?"

"Goddamn it, dad!"

"Alright, alright!" The older man smoothed out his ruffled mustache. "It's just that…flying? I can understand the beams coming out of your hands and all, because Goushi Muzai was able to do that, but…"

Jiro cut him off. "Dad, just go with this, okay? I haven't been able to go _near_ Sachiko because of mom, and it's really messing up my _hara_…"

"Oh…your source of ki." Jiro stared at his father in surprise, before the older man winked at him. "Okay son. If these lessons are that important, I don't mind covering for you. I'm actually quite fond of Miss Sachiko myself."

"Err…okay?"

"Oh…and when that green friend of yours finishes these…dragon things, I suggest you four leave the city immediately when you look for the balls. I'll stall your mother, but I can't distract that woman for long."

"Thanks da—wait a minute." Jiro gave his father a questioning look. "Four?"

"Yes. Hideaki is going to go with you. As much as I, err, _trust_ your judgment, I'm not about to let three children go around the world unsupervised."

Jiro's jaw hit the floor. "Oh, come on, dad! I don't want her around!"

Mr. Kutai only smiled, and made his way towards the kitchen. "It's settled, Jiro. Oh, and by the way…Rosa Garigari is supposed to come over for breakfast."

Jiro paled. "R-rosa? What the fuck is she coming over here for?"

"Watch that mouth of yours, boy! And don't ask me, ask your mother. She invited the girl, after all." Mr. Kutai checked his watch. "I'm heading to the office to eat. If you and Miss Sachiko want to train, you'd better find her so we can all leave before your mother finds out. Unless you'd rather stay and talk to Rosa—"

Jiro ran off so quickly that a line of smoke lined his trail behind him.

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

"Where is that brother and those hoodlum friends of his?"

Hideaki sighed at her mother's umpteenth insult. "I told you," Hideaki explained patiently, "Kargo is on a very special diet. He brought food from his home, because he has a really weak stomach."

"Hmph! I wish that miko child had a weak stomach. She's nothing more than a pig." Mrs. Kutai cut her grapefruit savagely, sending squirts of citrus juice all over the dining room table. Hideaki shook her head. There was no getting through to the woman…

The doorbell rang, and Mrs. Kutai's face immediately brightened. "That must be Rosa!" she said happily. She got up and walked quickly towards the door, where the butler had already let in a tall, scantily dressed, redheaded fourteen-year-old.

"Oh crap," Hideaki muttered, lowering her eyes to her cereal. "Here we go…"

"_Mrs. Kutai_!" Rosa greeted in a wonderfully fake voice. "Ohmigosh! You look totally posh today!"

"_Rosa_!" Mrs. Kutai squealed, something very unbecoming for the grown woman. "Darling, you're such a sweetheart! You don't have to call me Mrs. Kutai! I've told you so many times now!"

"Right! I'm, like, really sorry _mom_," Rosa apologized, giving Mrs. Kutai a wink.

Hideaki groaned. "I think I'm gonna be, like, totally sick," she mumbled, pushing her cereal away.

"You look wonderful dear!" Mrs. Kutai continued, leading the redhead to the dining room. "Is that a new outfit?"

Rosa stopped, and turned around so that she could show off her low-cut tank top and mini-skirt fully. "Yeah! This is, like, the latest fashion statement right now, okay? Skin is totally in, Mrs. Kutai! I mean, _mom_,"

Mrs. Kutai laughed. "Oh, Rosa, your parents are so lucky to have such a socially aware daughter!"

"I know!" Rosa agreed, and the two began to giggle as Hideaki make gagging motions behind their backs. "So! Like, where's my darling Jiro? We're, like, totally supposed to have breakfast, aren't we? I, like, almost sort of missed him during the whole month he was gone!"

"Yes…Hideaki?" Mrs. Kutai turned towards her daughter, who had stopped making her gagging motions just in time. "Where _is_ that brother of yours?"

"I dunno," Hideaki said, shrugging. "Ask Brunhilda."

"Hmm…I haven't seen Brunhilda around either…"

"It's okay, mom," Rosa said as she sat down. "Jiro's, like, probably still sleeping. I'll, like, just wait until he comes down, okay?"

Mrs. Kutai frowned, but sat down anyway. "I suppose…"

Rosa smiled, her overly white teeth flashing in the sunlight. Hideaki let out another groan of disgust, which unfortunately attracted the redhead's attention.

"Hideaki! Like, ohmigosh! I, like, can't believe how you look now! You're, like, facially attractive now! I'm so glad the acne totally cleared up."

Hideaki's left eye twitched. "Thanks. I see that you dyed your hair again."

"Yeah! Red is totally in now. Red hair, red shoes, red foods…but you know, you shouldn't eat cereal, okay?"

Twitch, twitch. "But I _like_ cereal."

"Cereal is, like, totally _not_ in! It's a fashion don't!"

Twitch, twitch. "I don't care. I want to eat cereal, you braindead—OW!" Hideaki looked up in shock as her mother hit her head again. "OW! MOTHER!"

"Hideaki!" Mrs. Kutai yelled. "Where are your manners? I raised you better than this! Please excuse her, Rosa darling," the blonde woman cooed, turning back to the redhead. "This household has been a bit of a mess since Jiro's brought his two friends over from the feudal villages."

"Oh? Is that where he's, like, been for the last month?"

Mrs. Kutai sighed. "I'm afraid so, dear. Oh, my poor son! To be touched by those little savages! They should be exterminated, all of them!"

Hideaki looked up in horror. "Mother! How could you say that?"

"Quiet girl! I'm talking!" Mrs. Kutai turned back to Rosa. "I'm sorry to say this, darling, but you must tighten your hold over Jiro. You see, he's brought over a _girl_ from one of the feudal villages—"

"LIKE, WHAT?"

"I know!" Mrs. Kutai moaned, and covered her eyes in shame. "She claims to be a miko, but I know those village types! Those women know nothing except for breeding! They're nothing but whores, every last one of them!"

"_Mother_!"

"I said be _quiet_!"

Rosa growled, and clenched her fake, red-nailed fists. "Like, no way! I'm not gonna let my precious Jiji get, like, taken by a village twerp with no fashion sense! I'm, like, totally gonna show this kid who's boss!"

Hideaki growled and stood up, stomping away from the two self-absorbed women as quickly as she could. On the way, she bumped into the butler, who nearly dropped the tray of red grapefruit he was holding.

"Excuse me, Miss Hideaki—"

"Shut up!" Hideaki yelled as she stomped towards her room, leaving behind a very confused and frightened butler.

Rosa sniffed. "Like, what's her problem?"

"Oh, I don't know…"

"Your breakfast, madams," the butler said, his normally smooth voice somewhat shaky. He set the fruit down in front of Rosa and Mrs. Kutai, before he affixed his gaze on the blonde woman. "I have a message for you, madam, from your husband."

"What does he want?" Mrs. Kutai asked, resuming her task of cutting her grapefruit.

"He said that he was taking Master Jiro and Miss Sachiko for breakfast at the office. They'll be with him all day, and will be home by ten o'clock tonight."

For a minute, the women stared at the butler as if he had grown an extra head.

Then…

"WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?"

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

Kargo squashed the clay angrily in his hands.

When Hideaki had told him that some crazy human had gone after Jiro and Sachiko, it wasn't really the crazy human that had him worried. It was the fact that Jiro and Sachiko had gone somewhere.

Together.

_Without_ him.

He was starting to get really aggravated at that teenaged boy…

"Aren't you at least a little worried?" Hideaki asked. "Rosa comes from one of the most influential families in the city. Sachiko could get into serious trouble!"

"I'd be more worried about the human girl than Sachiko," Kargo replied gruffly. "You don't know how strong she and I really are."

Hideaki snorted. "What? You guys strong enough to lift couches or something? I could hire grown men who can do the same thing."

Kargo didn't reply. There was no point in explaining to _her_. He pulled his hands away from his model, and waited.

For a moment, it seemed as if the form would hold. The Namek held his breath.

Then, the clay slumped back into its original form. Soft, shapeless mush.

He couldn't speak. This had to have been his ninety-seventh try. Again, failure slapped him cruelly in the face. Anger boiled to its maximum inside…

"Hey," Hideaki asked nervously. "You okay?"

He was seeing red. After screaming to his father that he could do this, after losing his future guardianship title, he was met with humiliation and defeat. This wasn't fair. This wasn't fair. _This wasn't fair_!

"What're you doing with that?" Hideaki cried. She slowly made her way toward the door as she gave the Namek a terrified stare. "P-put down that chair! Kargo!"

His memory blurred after that. He remembered lots of smashing, breaking, bits of wood and clay flying off in different directions as he aimed for the model again and again…

When his vision returned, the entire room was in ruins. His bed was reduced to a mess of springs and mattress fluff, and the remnants of what was once his chair were still in his hands. The door to his room creaked open, and Hideaki cautiously poked her head in, gasping at the state of the room.

"Oh my god," she whispered. "Mother's going to freak…"

The bits of wood fell from Kargo's hands, and clattered against the floorboards as he dropped to his knees.

"What's wrong?" Hideaki whispered. "Look, if it's about my mother, I'll help you! I'll say burglars came in, and had high-tech weapons, and…oh wow…" Hideaki fell silent.

The shapeless lump of clay was gone. In its place stood a creature standing on its hind legs. The legs, the ones in the front and the ones it was standing on were think and stubby. On the foot of each leg were three large claws that tapered off at the end. The legs supported a bulky body that had a large patch around the stomach. Large, fearsome wings sprouted from the back of the creature, looking more like devil's wings than anything else. Its long tail emerged from behind, and from its torso, a long protruding neck was connected with a dragon's head.

The model was finished.

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

Sachiko floated to the ground and scratched her head. "Okay, so positive thinking doesn't work for you."

Jiro growled as he looked up from the pillows Sachiko placed on the floor. "Look, can we stop with the sissy stuff? Teach me something more…manly!"

"Manly?"

"Something that a man would use!" Jiro yelled, his temper getting the better of him. "A_ man_! Not something stupid little girls use!"

Hurt ran through her body at his stinging comments, and anger welled up in Sachiko. "Hey! Pikkon-san _is_ manly! And he's a very good teacher, thank you very much!"

"Whatever," Jiro muttered, his eyes narrowing in dislike at the memory of the green warrior. "Just teach me another method."

"Not if you're going to be so rude!"

"She's right you know," Mr. Kutai said suddenly, as he looked up from his paperwork. He had been silently watching the two out of the corner of his eye in amazement, but he had yet to approve of his son's behavior when taking lessons from the younger girl. "You may have gotten stronger, but you should at least _attempt_ to be a little nicer, son."

Jiro snorted, and slumped back into the pillows. "Bastards," he mumbled into the pillow.

A frowned spread through the older man's face, but he paid no heed to the boy. Instead, he turned to Sachiko with an apologetic smile. "Forgive him, my dear. He gets that from his grandmother…_my_ mother, to be exact."

Sachiko sighed, and sat down next to Mr. Kutai. "We'll just have to keep trying," she said, shrugging. "I won't push him. When he's ready, I'll be there."

"Like, aha!" Both Sachiko and Mr. Kutai looked up to see a redhead standing at the door, her legs spread apart so that she was standing in a strange sort of stance. A red-nailed finger was pointed directly at Sachiko, and the girl's green eyes narrowed until they were mere slits.

Behind her was Mrs. Kutai, who had an equally agitated, if not more furious, look on her face. Mr. Kutai laughed nervously as he scratched the back of his head.

"Darling! W-what are you doing here?"

"Be quiet, Yuji!" Mrs. Kutai snapped, and turned towards Sachiko with cold eyes. "I knew you were trouble, you—you—scarlet child!"

Sachiko cocked her head in confusion. It was clear that the two women in front of her were angry, but she didn't know why.

Jiro had finally gotten up, and he made his way in front of Sachiko, shielding her from view. "Mon, Rosa, it's not what you two are thinking!"

"Like, yeah right!" Rosa cried, while glaring at Jiro. "That's totally what you said about Brittany, and Christina, and Jamie! I just thought you totally had better taste than _this_!"

"What is she talking about?" Sachiko asked Jiro curiously as she stepped out from behind him. "What are you tasting?"

"Like, get away from him, you little savage!" Rosa shrieked, and dove towards Sachiko with her nails high in the air. Sachiko yelped and jumped out of the way, sending the girl crashing to the floor with a cry.

"Oh my! I'm sorry! Let me help you up!" Sachiko attempted to help the girl to the feet, but Rosa only scratched at Sachiko's hand in response. The younger girl quickly pulled her hand back before any real damage could be done.

"Don't touch me, okay? You little whore!" Rosa screamed, and without warning, grabbed Sachiko's braid and began to pull it with all her might. Sachiko cried out at the sudden pain, and turned to Jiro for help…only to find him hiding behind his father as his mother screamed at him for bringing shame to the family.

"L-let go!" Sachiko yelled, trying with all her willpower not to resort to force. She was met with a slap by the older girl, and soon anger was beginning to cloud her judgment.

"You tried to steal my Jiji!" Rosa shrieked, pulling even harder. "You'll totally pay, you little peasant! You and your stupid peasant family will hear from my father!"

That did it. "Let—me—go!" With that, Sachiko grabbed the girl by the wrists and tightened her grip until the older girl let go in pain. Then, Sachiko lifted her clear off the ground. She swung Rosa around and around her head, faster and faster, until the older girl was screaming blue murder.

"_Like, help_!" Rosa screamed. "_Help me_!"

By now the members of the Kutai family had realized what the girls were up to, but the three of them were too transfixed at the sight before them to be of any assistance.

Sachiko leaned back against the weight of the whirling girl. Pivoting expertly on her toes, she spun around and around, going faster and faster, until the two girls were nothing more than a blur. Suddenly, Sachiko leaped into the air, still spinning, and hurled Rosa as hard as she could into the assortment of pillows on the floor.

The pillows, unfortunately, were of little help.

Rosa sailed clear _though_ the floor, and landed hard into the pool that was on the level below them. The older girl landed in the water with a loud SPLASH, and it was several minutes before the girl emerged from the water, drenched, dizzy, and shaken…yet surprisingly uninjured.

The Kutais turned to Sachiko slowly, who was presently breathing at a very controlled rate. Mrs. Kutai backed away towards the exit, before she ran towards the white elevator, presumably to comfort Rosa. Mr. Kutai had an astonished look on his face, while Jiro looked as if he was stuck between being happy and shocked.

For a moment, none of them spoke.

"Well," Mr. Kutai said finally, "I suppose I'll have to come up with a story for Rosa's father…"

Sachiko opened her mouth to reply, but was suddenly interrupted when a large flash of light streaked through window. By reflex, Sachiko, Jiro, and Mr. Kutai all dived to the floor, shielding their eyes. The light crashed into the wall, and faded away until there was nothing but a strange looking orange ball in its place. Four red stars glowed brightly as the ball rolled out of the wall and fell on the floor.

Sachiko peeked up, as several more streaks of light raced through the sky. As intriguing as the ball was, Sachiko raced towards the window, trying to see what the streaks were.

Six glowing orbs flew through the sky. Sachiko squinted as they became tinier and tinier, until they were gone.

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

**Hideaki: Why do I have to go with them? You didn't even ask me, Father! You can't just throw me on the plane and expect me to be all happy about it! Oh, forget it! I'm not saying a word about the next chapter! Figure it out yourselves!**


	16. The Hunt Begins

Disclaimer: I own nothing except the original characters. MY KARGO! GET AWAY, YOU RABID FANGIRLS! Oh wait…he doesn't have any fangirls…never mind me! Just continue on with your business. Dum-dee-dum-dum…

A/N: Thanks to Tellemicus Sundance for his review. I, eh, sort of stole a scene from the original DB series…I couldn't resist! It was too funny to pass up!

_**Chapter Sixteen: The Hunt Begins**_

Kargo and Hideaki stood flabbergasted as they stared at the seven holes in the white ceiling and walls. Hideaki, who recovered more quickly than the stunned Namek, poked his head very slowly. Poke. Poke. Poke. "Kargo?"

"What?" Kargo asked, his voice small as his eyes strayed from hole to hole. He didn't seem to mind the poking—truth was, he wasn't even aware of it.

Poke. Poke. Poke. "Did you _know_ that the dragonballs were going to burst out like that?"

"…Maybe."

Poke. Poke. Jab. "Then why did you perform the chants _inside_ the house?"

"…I dunno. Ow. Ow. Ow."

Jab. Jab. Jab. "You realize that I'm going to have to _kill_ you now?"

"Ow. Ow. Ow. It depends. Ow. Are you going to poke me to death? Ow."

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

Jiro moved his arms away from his eyes, and looked up cautiously.

His gaze immediately fell on Sachiko, who was still hovering near the broken window, staring at the now clear sky. He got to his knees, and was about to stand when his hand brushed against something smooth. For a minute, he thought it was broken glass from the window, but he then realized that the object was round. He looked down.

It was an orange orb, about the size of an apple. He picked it up, and inspected it more closely.

It was surprisingly warm. Four red stars stood out from the orange as the ball gleamed brightly in his hand. For a moment, a quiver went through his body. The ball seemed to be _pulsating_, as if it was alive, as if it had its own heartbeat…

"He did it," Sachiko said suddenly. She slowly turned towards him and gave him a small smile. "He did it!" she said again, her tone now stronger, more cheerful.

Mr. Kutai finally peered up from his bent position on the floor. "Who did what?" he asked, his face lined with confusion. "What on Earth just happened here?"

"Kargo! He did it!" Sachiko moved towards Jiro and bent down, gently touching the hand that held the orange ball. "He made the dragonballs! They're finally done!"

"W-what?" Jiro blinked for a moment, his eyes going from Sachiko, to the dragonball in his hand, before finally going back to Sachiko. "You mean—are you saying—is _this_ it? Is _this_ the dragonball?" He thrust the orb at her face in disbelief.

Sachiko laughed, not noticing Jiro's increasingly angry look. "Of course not! There are six more of them! The lines of light in the sky—they must have been the other balls!"

At this Mr. Kutai stared out of the window, and paled. "Oh my," he muttered. "They must be miles away by now."

"You must be fucking kidding me!" Jiro yelled, his grip tightening on the dragonball. "At the rate those things were going, the balls could be halfway around the world! And don't give me a language lecture right now, pops!" he snapped at Mr. Kutai, who was in the process of opening his mouth. "I am NOT in the mood!"

Sachiko's hands clenched at her sides, and her lips thinned. "That's why we have the dragon radar! So that it's easier to find the balls!"

"Ha!" Jiro laughed sarcastically. "We only have _one_ radar! How long is it going to take to find _six_ balls, which could be anywhere on the whole goddamn planet? Searching a country is one thing, but the whole PLANET?"

"Well, don't get mad!" Sachiko cried as she, Jiro, and Mr. Kutai finally got to their feet. "You knew we were gonna have to look for them!"

"Yeah? Well, I didn't think that we would have to search the _whole fucking planet_ for them!"

"Jiro!" Mr. Kutai roared. "ENOUGH!"

At the tone and volume of his father's voice, Jiro quieted down, looking somewhat bewildered at the older man's uncharacteristic burst of anger. "We do not have time for this! Tell me right here and now, you two; are you going to search for the dragonballs, or _not_?"

Though surprised, Sachiko nodded vigorously, while Jiro frowned and looked away.

"You answer me when I'm talking to you, boy!" Mr. Kutai gave his son a hard stare, one that almost rivaled his wife's in fierceness. Jiro's own haughty look faltered for a moment, before he snorted and stared at the floor.

"Whatever," he muttered. "We came this far. It'd be stupid to back out now…"

Mr. Kutai sighed, and reached into his pocket, pulling out what seemed to be two wristwatches. "Vidwatches," he said, pressing them into Sachiko's hands. "I'm the only one who knows the code number to these models, so don't worry about my wife or Rosa trying to harass you. If you need help of any sort, call _me_."

He turned to Jiro with a grim smile. "You know my number, son. Take as much time as you need…but don't be a stranger."

Jiro snorted again, earning another sigh from his father.

"You two should hurry up and grab your friends," Mr. Kutai said quietly, as he turned and headed for the door. "If I time this correctly, you all have one hour to get back to the mansion, get Kargo and Hideaki, and get out of the city without facing Mrs. Kutai's wrath. Oh, and Jiro, tell your sister that if she _doesn't_ go with you, I'll write her out of the will. Have fun."

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

"Mmmmph! MMMMMMMPH!"

As he dragged the bound and gagged butler towards the broom closet, Jiro couldn't help but smirk at the man's distress. "Have fun, Norman," he sang mockingly as he tossed the old butler amongst the mops and liquid cleaners. "If mom ever finds you, tell her I said hi, will you?"

"MMMMMPH! MMMMMMPH!" Norman struggled helplessly as Jiro closed the door behind him, cackling in an evil manner.

He checked his watch mid-cackle. They had fifteen minutes to go.

It had taken them ten minutes for him and Sachiko (who was acting unnaturally cool towards him) to rush back to the mansion. It hadn't taken long for Jiro to find the others, for both Kargo and Hideaki were in the living room, trying furiously to hammer some wood over the seven apple-sized holes in the ceiling and walls.

Sachiko had been startled at the many small, circular bruises on Kargo's head, and had asked for an explanation, which the flushing Namek had refused to provide, other than a mumbled, "I hate getting poked…"

After explaining to Hideaki what had happened, he told her of their father's blackmail, and after a few rants and screams (which had taken up approximately fifteen minutes of their precious hour), she had consented to leave with them. But not before hitting him squarely in the head with a piece of plaster that had fallen from the ceiling.

It had hurt, too.

With thirty minutes to go, Jiro realized that they had another problem. It hadn't initially been on his mind, but he realized that the servants could rat out to his mother where they were going. One could even follow them and report to her their location.

That was something he just couldn't risk.

So after quickly rounding up all the servants in one room with the false promise of extra pay, he knocked each and every one of them out with a small ki blast to the head, and stuffed their unconscious bodies in various rooms. Somehow, he had missed the butler, Norman, but he quickly tackled the old man to the floor, and tied him up.

That ordeal left him with fifteen minutes.

"This is so _unfair_!" Hideaki screamed for the forty-seventh time as she grabbed several capsules out of her drawers. "Why do _I_ always have to take part in _your_ stupid problems? What wrongs could I _possibly_ have committed to be punished this much?"

"Be a bitch later, will ya sis?" Jiro snapped as he grabbed her arm and pulled her towards the front door. "Dad said that you have to go, so live with it!"

"I AM NOT A BITCH!" Hideaki shireked as Jiro pushed her out the door with her suitcases.

"Oh really? What about that time I caught you and that boy, Katsu, doing it doggie style at his house? If I recall, a female dog is called a bitch—"

"Shhhhh!" Hideaki covered his mouth and looked around nervously, her face becoming white. "You bastard! You promised never to speak about that again!"

Jiro only smiled against her hand, and jerked his head to the right. "Then what are you waiting for?" he mumbled against her palm. "Get on board."

Outside, a hovercraft stood waiting, with Kargo and Sachiko already inside. Both Hideaki and Jiro could see the young girl in the cockpit, sitting in the co-captain seat as she played with the controls. Despite herself, Hideaki couldn't help but smile as Sachiko spotted her and waved cheerfully through the window.

Well, at least she would have some _pleasant_ female company for once.

She noticed that Sachiko's smile faded somewhat when her eyes fell on Jiro, and vice-versa. Not that Jiro smiled much, anyway…

The siblings boarded the hovercraft, and Hideaki made her way to the cockpit as Jiro began to bicker with Kargo about who had the rights to use the pillow (Kargo, who had been in the plane at least fifteen minutes prior to them, had been using it to cushion his head for a while now). After showing Sachiko which buttons to push in order to correctly start the machine, Hideaki pulled at the controls, and the machine floated into the air, slowly at first, before roaring into the skies at full speed.

Five minutes later, a black car screeched into the driveway, the driver a blonde woman screaming profanities foul enough to make a sailor blush. In the passenger seat, the husband kept his head turned to the side, so that his wife would not see the smirk on the side of his face.

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

It hadn't taken long to get out of West City, and they had managed to get out without attracting too much attention. Vintage vehicles like hovercrafts were all the rage these days anyway, or so Jiro and Hideaki claimed.

Sachiko had very politely asked what they meant by "all the rage," which earned a laugh from the older girl.

"So Hideaki," Kargo said, as he leaned his head against his torn half of the pillow, "where's the dragon radar? We should start using it now, while we're airborne."

Hideaki chuckled. "It's right here," she said, holding up her wrist. The three youths blinked. All they saw was a red, box-like watch that had an unusually large screen.

Jiro moved his half of the pillow away from his face. "It's just a Vidwatch, sis," he said, frowning.

"That can't be right," Kargo muttered. He reached inside his hoodie and pulled out the old journal. "According to Dende, the radar was a large, circular object."

"Yes," Hideaki admitted. "But that meant it was also a pain in the ass to carry around. I merged the old technology with the layout of a standard Vidwatch, so that as we're looking for the dragonball, if anyone is looking at us, they'll just think that we're talking on the phone with someone else, or checking for the time."

Sachiko gasped in amazement. "Oh wow, Hideaki-chan. You're a genius!"

Hideaki smiled. "I know."

Raising a brow, Jiro leaned towards Kargo. "Hey freak, did Sachiko really understand what Hideaki said?" he asked the Namek.

Kargo groaned. "No. She was just impressed by the pretty words."

"Oh…"

"And don't call me _freak_, you stupid son-of-a—"

A gasp from the cockpit drew the boys' attention back to Sachiko, who was staring at something with a look of awe. The boys followed her gaze to Hideaki's wrist, and their own jaws hit the floor.

There was a large projection coming from the watch, and the three youths could see a map of the entire world on the projection. Several red dots blinked furiously in various places, and Hideaki alternated between staring at the map and staring at the skies. "Check the map," she said suddenly. "Which dot is closest to us?"

Sachiko blinked for a moment, before she realized that Hideaki was talking to her. Staring at the map closely, she said, "The closest dot is where we are."

Hideaki turned to Sachiko in surprise. "Really?"

"But maybe that's because we already found one of the balls." Sachiko pulled out the orange orb from the pocket of her green shorts, and held it out for them to see. Kargo and Hideaki gaped at Sachiko and Jiro.

"You found one already!" Kargo exclaimed, taking the ball from Sachiko's hand. "How?"

"It crashed through the window of the office," Jiro said, covering his face with the pillow again. "We were lucky that it didn't go through the wall any further, or we would have lost it."

Hideaki paled as she envisioned the scene. "Oh gods…more property damage. If mother ever catches us, she'll kill us."

"Forget it, sis," Jiro mumbled as Kargo inspected the dragonball.

"The Four Star Ball," Kargo mumbled, before flipping through the journal excitedly. "This is so weird…kinda cool, but weird…"

"Why?" Sachiko asked.

"This was Goku's preferred dragonball. This was the ball that his human grandfather, the first Gohan, found before he died. Goku believed that the Four Star ball contained his dead grandfather's spirit, and he went through great lengths to protect it when he was young. "

A hush fell over the girls, who stared at each other, before smiling. "That is so poetic," Hideaki whispered. Sachiko nodded in agreement.

"What a load of bullshit," Jiro mumbled from underneath his pillow. "You guys are so damn sappy. Forget about that and check out the _next_ closest dot, please? I don't want to be in the air all day. Mother's gonna find out that we're gone eventually, and the sky is the first place she'll look."

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

"THOSE NO-GOOD, SELFISH, INGRATEFUL _BRATS_!"

Mr. Kutai cowered in his chair as his wife tore the mansion apart, looking for the children. He had been relieved when it was clear that the four were gone, but after seeing his wife in a near psychotic state for the past three hours, he wondered for a moment if he had done the right thing.

"WHEN I GET MY HANDS ON THAT GREEN PUNK AND THAT LITTLE SHE-PRIMATE, THEY WILL PAY!"

Scratch that. He had done the right thing.

He opened the newspaper that was lying on the nearby coffee table, and quickly opened it as his wife turned to his direction. After living with Miyuki Burugashi Kutai for twenty-one years, he knew enough about the woman to _not_ make eye contact with her when she was royally pissed.

"Yuji?"

_Don't look at her,_ his mind whispered._ Don't look at her. For the love of gods and goddesses, DO NOT LOOK AT HER!_

"_Yuji_?"

_Be strong! You are the man of the house! She does not hold your dick in her hand! You're in charge!_

"YUJI!"

He peered over the top of the newspaper. "Yes, darling?" _You cockless pussy_, his mind hissed. _Why do you love her so?_

"Are you even listening to me darling?" The blonde glared at her husband, who nodded quickly as he continued to hold the newspaper over his face. "Aren't you even worried? Our children could be out there, _breeding_ with commoners, and you're just there reading the paper!"

"Oh, really darling," Mr. Kutai said, "you're making a mountain out of a molehill. I don't think they would be doing _that_…"

"You wouldn't happen to know where they went, do you dear?" Mrs. Kutai asked, her voice dripping with venom. Mr. Kutai swallowed nervously, and managed to fake an innocent look.

"Why, _no_ dear. Why would I know? I just sent the two home after the, eh, incident. I had no idea that they would all run off…" Mr. Kutai held his breath and waited.

Mrs. Kutai fumed for a moment, before she sat down hard on the sofa across from him. He breathed out a sigh of relief. _She brought it_. Unfortunately, this relief was short-lived.

"The nerve of those children! And that miko! She hurt Rosa's back, and broke three of her nails! I'm so glad Rosa's father isn't pressing charges…he's one of the candidates for mayor, don't you know?"

"Uh-huh," Mr. Kutai said, trying not to look at his wife.

"I just know that girl and that punk seduced Hideaki and my poor Jiro into going with them! This is kidnapping! I can press charges!" Mrs. Kutai thought for a moment, before she stood up. "Yes! I'm calling the police! I won't let this go!"

"The _police_?" Mr. Kutai put down his paper in shock. "Miyuki! Be reasonable! Has it ever occurred to you that perhaps they wanted to go?" _With the exception of Hideaki_, he thought privately.

"Yuji, you don't know the kids the way I do. Our children would never consent to go with those hoodlums! They must have been tricked! I'll make them see sense!"

"But dear…" Mr. Kutai tried to think of something—anything—that would exclude the police. "It wouldn't be good publicity to send the law after them. We have our own little group of men. How about we just send some hired help to bring them back?"

Mrs. Kutai glared at him, but her face softened somewhat. "I suppose you're right," she mumbled. "The news would have a field day with us if they found out." She thought some more, before she smiled. "I know just who to hire. Oh Yuji, you're a genius!" She patted Mr. Kutai on the head, and made her way towards the phone.

Mr. Kutai paled. He had to alert Jiro, and fast.

What he wouldn't give to have some immunity against his wife.

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

When the sun began to go down, the four had no choice but to land the hovercraft, despite the fact that the dragonball was still several miles away.

They had landed in the middle of the wilderness, half a mile from the nearest town. As a precaution, Kargo wanted to stay in the wilderness, in case Mrs. Kutai was checking the nearby towns. Jiro wanted to risk going to town.

"We could get caught, you spoiled idiot," Kargo spat, glaring daggers at Jiro. "We have capsules of houses, why risk going to town?"

"Have you even checked the date on those capsules?" Jiro snapped back. "Those houses are old! Even older than Sachiko's house! I'm not sleeping in a dump like that."

Sachiko frowned, and crossed her arms. "I'm sorry if you didn't like my house, Jiro," she said in a flat voice. "You don't have to worry about sleeping there _ever again_."

Jiro blinked for a moment, before he realized that he had just insulted the younger girl. _Way to go, jackass_, his mind snapped at him. _Make her even angrier at you. That'll really get you back on her good side._

He told his brain to shut the fuck up.

"I'm with Kargo on this," Sachiko said suddenly, bringing Jiro back to reality. "I want to stay out here, where it's safe for now."

Jiro stared at Sachiko in disbelief. This was revenge! She was pissed at him, so she was siding with the freak! This was nothing more than pure, icy, revenge! Well, he'd show her! He turned to his sister. "Sis, back me up here. _You_ want to go to town, right?"

Hideaki paused, before looking at the capsule. "Well," she said slowly, "they are pretty old…"

"Ha!" Jiro yelled, sticking his tongue out at Kargo.

"But," Hideaki continued, "it would be suicide to go into any urban areas for the time being. Mother probably contacted every police force around. We should avoid towns near West City for the time being. So…I'll have to go with the green one. Sorry, Jiro-kun."

Kargo smirked, and turned to Jiro's stunned face. "Three-to-one, rich boy. I win."

The teenaged boy's left eye twitched. "Shut your goddamned mouth, freak."

Hideaki pressed the button on the capsule, and threw the capsule several feet away from their location. There was a loud _pop_, a burst of smoke, and within seconds, a small stone house stood where the capsule once was. Sachiko and Kargo stared at the structure, impressed, while the Kutai siblings looked at the house in displeasure.

It was just so much…smaller than what they were used to.

"Hmm…town's starting to sound better and better," Hideaki muttered. Jiro shot her an I-told-you-so look, which earned him a slap upside the head. "Don't even start," she warned her younger brother.

"Hey, you guys coming in, or what?" Kargo shouted as he went inside. "Sachiko's already in the kitchen! She's gonna eat everything if you don't hurry up!" He looked back in the house, and the Kutai siblings saw the Namek boy pale. "Oh my god…Sachiko! Don't eat that! It just looks wrong!"

Jiro and Hideaki exchanged glances. "Uh, sis?"

"Yes, Jiro-kun?"

"Isn't all that food…expired?"

"…Yes, Jiro-kun…"

"…You brought food capsules, right?"

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

At the small, cramped, circular table, the others backed away slightly as Sachiko ate the last of the pork buns with relish. "Mmm! I can't believe that this house had such delicious buns! The blue stuff that was growing on it just made it tastier!"

Jiro choked on his ramen as Hideaki made a strange noise from the back of her throat. Kargo didn't saw anything—he looked too sick to even comment.

"You know," Sachiko continued, taking another bite (and not noticing the others cringe as she did so), "after the Otherworld tournament, I was sort of scared to try pork buns…but now I love them all over again! We've got to find out what this blue stuff is!"

"Oh _god_," Kargo moaned, holding his stomach. He couldn't even finish his water.

The twitch in Jiro's eye increased as he pushed away his ramen. "Well…I've lost my appetite."

Hideaki coughed. "Um…Sachiko-chan…how many of those buns did you eat?"

"Um…" Sachiko thought for a moment, before counting off from her fingers. "I ate fifteen warm…I ate thirteen just as they came out of that micro-wave-thingie…and I ate ten frozen."

"OH GOD!" Kargo turned away, his face even greener than usual.

"That makes thirty-eight," Jiro muttered. He got up, nearly knocking the small table over in the process. "Well, I've definitely lost my appetite. I'm going to watch some television. This dump _does_ have television, doesn't it?"

"Um…I think so," Hideaki said. "The living room is over there, I think." Jiro sighed with relief, and went towards the direction Hideaki had pointed out.

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

He had been expecting a large, flat screen, plasma T.V. complete with remote control. He expected a nice sofa to crash onto. He expected…he expected…

What he got was a dusty couch, with a small twelve-by-twelve television box…complete with knobs, dials, and rabbit-eared antennas.

_God fucking dammit!_

"Is this a television?" Sachiko asked, as she came up from behind him. Jiro raised a brow as she inspected the box and giggled. "It's really tiny! Smaller than my Okaasan's!"

"Hmph. Where's the freak?" He watched as Sachiko thought for a moment, before smiling.

"He went to bed. He said that his stomach would never recover from the horrors that he saw tonight…I wonder what he was talking about?"

Jiro shrugged, before he gave Sachiko a hard stare. "You suddenly like me again?" he asked, his voice filled to the brim with sarcasm as he plopped down on the couch, taking up two-thirds of the space as he stretched his long legs. Sachiko frowned, and sat down at the remaining space.

"I don't hate you," she said quietly. "It's just that you can be very…mean sometimes. And I get mad when you act that way." Sachiko's tail suddenly emerged from underneath her shirt, and swished around, brushing gently against his foot occasionally. "I have a limit, you know!"

Jiro stared at the younger girl. Now, what could he say to that without making an ass, or worse, a _sap_, of himself? Goddamn it, that tail tickled!

He jerked his foot back, startling Sachiko. "Whatever," he muttered. "You should know me by now. I'm a jerk. Get used to it, because that's not gonna change." He got up and made his way to the television box, twisting the knobs as he watched Sachiko out of the corner of his eye.

She had a very sad look on her face. He ignored it.

"So!" Jiro looked up as Hideaki entered the living room, bringing her bowl of ramen with her. "What're you two doing in here? Alone? Without supervision?"

"Nothing," Jiro snapped, as Sachiko twisted a lock of her dark blue hair. "Go away."

Hideaki frowned, and kicked Jiro in the shins before she sat next to Sachiko. "You've never watched television before, have you?" Hideaki asked the younger girl as Jiro hopped on one leg in pain. "I don't suppose the feudal villages allow technology like that…"

Sachiko shook her head. "Nu-uh. The only person with a television like that was my Okaasan, and Grandpa would _never_ let me into her room."

"Geez…that sucks…hey, Jiro!" Hideaki said loudly, as Jiro finally got back to turning the knobs. "Hurry up! Find a channel already!"

"Shut up, bitch!" Jiro yelled, throwing his sister a hateful look. "Can't you see I'm fucking trying? This damn model must be the Bitchmaster 200 or something…it sucks like hell!"

"Well that's something. Even female versions of technology won't work with you. You see Sachiko," Hideaki said as Jiro kicked the box over and over, "Jiro is what I'd like to call a Casanova. For him, most women are beneath him, and unless the woman he meets is really smart, or really stupid, he'll use them, abuse them, and leave them. Like Brittany…"

"What do you mean, he'll use them?" Sachiko asked curiously.

"It's working!" Jiro said loudly, and plopped back down on the couch, putting as much distance as he could between himself and the two girls. Hideaki smirked, which only earned a snort from Jiro.

"Um, I don't think I should be watching this," Sachiko said nervously. "Grandpa wouldn't approve." She made a motion to stand.

"What's the big deal?" Hideaki said as she grabbed Sachiko's arm. "One hour of the box won't kill you! And besides, it's not like your grandfather's gonna find out…what could go wrong?"

Sachiko bit her lip, but stayed seated, despite her doubts. As the picture in the screen became clearer and clearer she became more and more tense. _This is wrong_, she thought as she clenched her hands. _I'm gonna get punished…_ When the screen finally showed a picture of Jack Michaelson, one of the top male singers of the world, Sachiko stared, wide-eyed at the man, before she completely freaked out.

"Oh sweet Amaterasu!" Sachiko screamed, standing up and pointing a finger at the screen. "It's the work of demons! That poor man is stuck inside the box, and he's playing that horrible music to get out! Demons, be gone!" A large white ki ball formed in Sachiko's hand, and she threw it at the television.

"Sachiko, no!" Jiro cried, but it was too late.

KABOOM!

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

The man smiled as he fastened the Vidwatch to his wrist. He pressed several buttons, and after a few seconds, a large projection emerged from the device, showing a map of the world.

Seven dots blinked merrily in the darkness, as the man's lips twisted into a grim smile.

There was a loud _creak_, and the man turned to find one of his subordinates enter the room, pushing the heavy metal door aside as he made his way in. "Sir, we have the location of the four children and the Four Star Ball. What should we do, sir? Should we move in?"

The man paused, and stared at the map. "No," he said. "Let them go for now. They will do half of the work for us, while we go after the more distance gems. And when the time is right…we will have everything. The dragonballs. Capsule Corps. Absolute power…"

The subordinate nodded, and bowed deeply as he left the room.

The man laughed, and pressed several more buttons on the Vidwatch. Four images popped up.

One showed a green boy reaching puberty, kicking a large guard expertly in the head.

One showed a woman with light blue hair wearing a lab coat, frowning as she bent over several blueprints.

Another was of a teenaged boy with dark hair and icy eyes, punching and kicking in an elaborate exercise room.

The last one was of a small girl running away from several Capsule Corps guards. She had dark blue hair, with golden eyes.

These children had started something larger and more complex than they could ever imagine. Though their intentions were pure and simple, they had unknowingly brought Hell on Earth because of this.

Sooner or later, they would learn the consequences of their actions. For now, he would wait.

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

**Sachiko: We're on the track of the first dragonball, but there seems to be a problem…there are so many complications, and, and…why are there so many people after us? Why is there so much to learn? Oh…**

**Read and review.**


	17. Crystal Caves

Disclaimer: I don't own DB, DBZ, or DBGT.

A/N: Thanks to Magan for the review.

_**Chapter Seventeen: Crystal Caves **_

The sun barely peeked over the horizon as the birds began to chirp merrily. A gray squirrel, which had been chipping away at an acorn, glared at its noisy neighbors before receding farther into the shelter of the giant oak tree.

Tap.

Tap.

Tap.

After thoroughly inspecting the stone house, it was discovered that there was only one bedroom. After much arguing, whining, and slapping around (mostly by Hideaki) it was arranged so that the girls would sleep in the bedroom, while the boys made do with the couch and the bathtub. Thanks to his superior agility (and the fact that Jiro did not want to sleep next to a smoking, broken television set), Kargo won the couch.

Tap.

Tap.

Tap.

The Namek groaned and rolled over on the age-old furniture, his eyes glued shut. He was so _sleepy_...

Tap.

Tap.

Tap.

He originally thought that the soft tapping sound came from his dream. The noise synced perfectly with the scenario. He had been walking down a creepy steel corridor, the small space lit only with soft florescent lights that came from the ceiling. It had been quite eerie, yet…

Still, he continued to walk. There was something he was looking for. Something important. _Something_…

Then, he heard it.

Tap.

Tap.

CREAAAAAK!

His eyes shot open, and by reflex he sat straight up, blinking furiously as he forced himself out of sleep. Twisting his head in all directions, he tried to clear his blurry vision as he attempted to see what had caused the disturbance in the still-dark room.

His jaw hit the floor when his gaze fell on Sachiko and Jiro, both only inches away from the door, both frozen where they stood.

"What the…" Kargo stared at the two in shock and surprise. "What the hell are you two doing? It's—" he tossed a quick glance at a nearby clock "—six-thirty in the morning! People our age normally _sleep_ at this hour, you know!"

Neither Sachiko nor Jiro responded to this—the girl stared nervously at her stocking feet while Jiro scowled and turned away.

It was then that Kargo realized that the two were fully washed and dressed, and fears (along with several suspicions) of the worst sort began to slowly creep into his mind.

"What are you two doing?" he repeated, this time in a slow, deliberate tone. He stared hard at Jiro, who simply snorted and flipped him off.

"Mind your own fucking business," the human teen retorted. "Me and Sachiko here have stuff to do. Stuff that does _not_ involve you."

A vein in Kargo's forehead began to throb angrily, but he said nothing. Instead, a smirk made its way to his face as he turned to Sachiko, who was still staring at her feet. Mustering the most sickly sweet voice he had, he gave the nerve wracked girl a smile, and sang, "Oh, _Sachi-chan_?"

The girl looked up, and gulped audibly. "Y-yes, Kargo-kun?"

"_Sachi-chan_," he sang, still using his sickly sweet voice, "I _know_ I can trust you, my dearest, bestest, most _honest_ friend in the world, who I love with all my heart." A faint blush crept across his cheeks as he said this, but he forced himself to remain cool and composed. "After all, you would _never_ lie to me, for that would surely _demolish_ the bridge of respect and trust we have worked so _hard_ to build over the years…" Kargo stared intently at Sachiko, who was beginning to whimper.

"K-kargo?" she whispered.

He smirked. "Yes, my most_ trustworthy_ Sachi-chan?"

"W-what does demolish mean?"

"…it means to completely destroy, Sachi-chan."

Sachiko paled. "Aieeee…."

"Oh please!" Jiro cut in, his voice filled with disgust. "Like _that's_ ever gonna work on _anyone_! No one falls for the guilt trick! Only an idiot would—"

"Oh, I confess!" Sachiko wailed, throwing herself into Kargo's arms. "We were sneaking out so I could teach him how to fly while you were asleep so that he could fly like us and that you wouldn't know so that if you two ever fought he would have a better chance at fighting you and maybe even kick your buttocks!" Sachiko stopped, and took several deep breaths. A one breath confession was no easy task.

"Goddamn it Sachiko!" Jiro went over to a nearby wall and began to bang his head repeatedly against the stone. "You have no damn spine, you know that?"

"W-whaz goin' on?" a sleepy voice said from one of the rooms.

"Nothing, sis," Jiro said as he kept banging his head. "Go back to sleep."

The vein in Kargo's head was now throbbing at a greater rate as he slowly began to piece together Sachiko's ramblings. What he got so far was this: Jiro, the most annoying excuse for a human to ever exist on planet Earth, had somehow convinced his sweet, innocent Sachiko to sneak out in order to obtain flying lessons. Then, the scum planned to use the knowledge to—and this pissed him off the most—kick _his,_ Kargo's, ass.

_How dare he, that fucking asshole! I'll tear his lungs out!_

"I'm so sorry," Sachiko whimpered suddenly, as she hugged him around the neck, her cheek pressed against his. "I shouldn't have acted so sneaky…I'm so sorry! Please forgive me!"

"Uh…" Kargo's mind suddenly went blank as his body temperature skyrocketed. What was he supposed to be doing again?

"Ugh! This is stupid!" Jiro walked over and yanked Sachiko away from Kargo, whose brain was still quite numb. "Come on. I don't care if the freak knows now. I want to learn how to fly!"

Sachiko paused, and looked back at the comatose Kargo. "Well, Kargo knows now…so it should be easier. No more sneaking around…"

"Huh?" Kargo snapped out of his trance. "Wha? Wait! I'm coming with you guys!"

"WHAT?" Jiro stared at Kargo in shock, as Sachiko's face lit up.

"What a great idea, Kargo! Now we can all be together and hang out! We can train like Goku-san and Pikkon-san did with me in Otherworld! Oh, it'll be so much fun!" Sachiko's eyes began to sparkle as she imagined the three of them all holding hands, singing, "Kumbaya."

Jiro, on the other hand, stared at Kargo apprehensively, his eyes saying was his mouth did not. _What the hell are you up to, freak?_

The Namek simply smiled. _I'm gonna help teach you how to fly, rich boy. Isn't that obvious?_

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

"Kargo-kun, are you sure this is safe?"

"Of course, Sachi-chan. My dad did this when he taught _me_ how to fly."

"Well…I dunno…"

"YOU TWO ARE CRAZY!" Jiro shrieked as he clung to their bodies. Both Sachiko and Kargo had flown two hundred feet into the air, with Jiro clawing at their legs in order to hang on. "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU GUYS THINKING?"

Sachiko saw the fear in Jiro's eyes, and whispered quietly, "Kargo, maybe we should try something else—"

"No." With that, the Namek grabbed Jiro by the armpits, and hoisted him up until they were at eye level. Kargo smirked as he looked at Jiro's terrified face. It was satisfying, in a sadistic way. "Some humans," Kargo said in a soft voice, "teach their children how to swim by throwing them into a deep lake. That way, the child teaches _himself_ how to swim by pure survival instinct, so that he doesn't drown."

"S-so what?" Jiro stammered, trying and failing to sound calm.

Kargo's smirk widened. "Well, you're going to teach yourself how to fly. You're either going to teach yourself, or gravity will smash your face against the ground, and reduce you to a pile of homemade jelly." With that, he let go of Jiro completely.

"_Kargo, no_!" Sachiko dove after Jiro, but gravity proved to be a much more powerful opponent. Jiro screamed as he fell down, down, down…instead of the ground, he saw that he was falling towards a large oak tree…

CRASH!

He sailed headfirst through a mass of leaves, and cried out as his arm slammed painfully against a thick branch. Seeing the ground approach with sickening speed, he reached out and grabbed at the nearest branch available.

There was a gray squirrel on that particular branch, which tried to scurry away in terror as the wood immediately bent and cracked under the teen's weight. In seconds, the branch broke, and both Jiro and the squirrel were plummeting, plummeting, plummeting to their doom…

Sachiko dived even faster, and stretched out her hand towards the falling beings. She was getting closer…closer…she reached out and grabbed the squirrel, but Jiro…she couldn't reach him! No!

Suddenly Jiro's body began to glow, and seconds before he hit the dirt, his body curved sharply, so that he was speeding _horizontally_ in the air, mere inches off the ground.

"Oh my," Sachiko gasped, staring Jiro in amazement as the squirrel wiggled nervously in her hands. "He did it…I can't believe it…"

Kargo couldn't believe it either. He stared open-mouthed at the scene below him, his mind spinning. When his father had tried than on him, he had fallen flat on his head, and had been unconscious for three days! And here was Jiro, getting the basics on the very first try! This was totally unfair!

He felt a bit better when Jiro ended up crashing headfirst into another nearby tree.

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

"What were you thinking?" Hideaki cried as she bandaged Jiro's head. "Flying? I mean, be real, Jiro! Do you think you can just learn to fly like _that_? It must have taken these two ages to master it, what makes you think you can just pick it up in a day?"

"Shut up!" Jiro snapped, before wincing at the pain in his head. He stared at the sky above and frowned. "This never would have happened if the freak hadn't dropped me from that height!"

Kargo gave the human teen his most innocent look. "You're the one who wanted to learn how to fly in a jiffy," he said calmly. "If you didn't want to get hurt, you should have listened to Sachiko."

Jiro growled, but did nothing. Instead, he leaned back against the tree. "Whatever. Anyway, I got the basics now. I just have to...finesse it, that's all."

Hideaki threw her hands in the air in exasperation. "There's no getting though to you…"

"So…you feel a little better, Jiro?" Sachiko asked, her tail swishing nervously from side to side. "I mean, you see only one of me this time, right?"

"Yeah…hey!" Jiro stared at the small gray animal that sat calmly on top of Sachiko's head. "What the hell is that?"

"Hmm?" Sachiko looked up, and grinned. "Oh! This is Mr. Squirrelly-Squirrel! I saved him when he fell from the oak tree. I tried to save you too, but…" She lowered her head as the squirrel scurried to her shoulder.

Hideaki stared at the animal worriedly. "Um, Sachiko-chan…aren't squirrels wild animals? Don't they carry rabies, and other flesh rotting diseases?"

Sachiko and the squirrel cocked their heads. "What're rabies?"

"…it's nothing good, trust me."

"Don't be silly!" Sachiko laughed, and rubbed the squirrel gently on the head. "He's not carrying anything, and he's perfectly nice! Here Jiro, why don't you hold him? You'll see, he's the cutest little squirrel in the world."

Jiro paused for a moment. "I don't know…"

"What's the matter?" Kargo teased. "Afraid of a little squirrelly-squirrel?"

"Hell no!" Jiro reached out and snatched the animal from Sachiko's shoulder, holding it tight in his fist as the animal began to struggle wildly. He shot the Namek a contemptuous look. "Ha! See? I'm not afraid! I'm—OW!" Jiro yelped and threw the squirrel to the ground as the animal's sharp teeth dug into his hand. The squirrel straightened itself out and headed towards the trees as Jiro growled and began to throw small ki blasts at it.

"Jiro, stop!" Sachiko cried, and grabbed his glowing hands. "It's just a little scared of you! You were holding him too tightly!"

Jiro growled. "Sachiko, you are the biggest sap I've ever met in my life! From now on, no more squirrels are allowed to come within twenty feet of me!" Sachiko pouted and looked towards the trees as Jiro inspected his bitten hand. "Fucking squirrel…Mr. Squirrelly-Squirrel? Should be the Bloodthirsty Squirrelly-Squirrel…it better not have rabies."

"We can get your hand checked at the next town," Hideaki said soothingly. "It's pretty close to where the dragonball is, actually. My geography's a bit rusty, but we're headed for Crystal Caves. It's supposed to be a mining town…"

Kargo whistled. "Wow. We're farther from West City than I thought."

"Well, don't relax," Hideaki warned. "Mother's connections run far and wide…"

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

As the four began to pack up, the gray squirrel watched them all from the safety of his damaged oak tree. He stared at the Golden-Eyed Babe for a moment, before his gaze rested on the Ice Male. His body began to shake with anger.

That boy had ruined his home, his place of birth, his sanctuary. Not to mention he tried to squeeze him to death just a few moments before. If it hadn't been for the Golden-Eyed Babe, he surely would have died.

The Ice Male…he would pay!

His teeth chattered in fury as he tasted the strange red liquid that was still in his mouth. He paused for a moment.

This red stuff…it didn't taste too bad…

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

Some people believed that plants could feel the emotions of their caretaker. If the person tending to the plants was happy, then the plants were vibrant, and full of life. If the person tending to the plants was depressed or sad, then the plants would wilt away until there was nothing left except for withered, blackened leaves.

Mr. Popo sighed as he watered the wilting plants.

It had been days since he had last seen Kargo, days still since he saw Dende. Piccolo, although he would never, ever admit it, was getting worried. As of late, Mr. Popo had often found the Namek pacing the lookout at night, mumbling to himself.

"Stupid boy," Piccolo would mutter. "Doesn't he know that I'm only thinking of what's best for him? Stubborn child…"

Mr. Popo sighed as he watered the wilting plants.

There was one thing he could definitely agree with Piccolo on. Out of every Namekian he had ever come across, from Kami to Dende to all of his descendants up to the present Piccolo, he had never quite encountered a child like Kargo.

The boy was the definite antithesis of everything a Namek should be—he was aggressive, rude to those he didn't care about, disrespectful towards his elders, had a foul vocabulary, was obsessed with humans and their lifestyle, and had even developed a strong attachment to one of them. No, when it came to the letter, Kargo's behavior alone would have placed him in the category of "Humans," not "Nameks."

Strangely, Kargo reminded him of a cruder version of Piccolo. Not Piccolo the father, but _the_ Piccolo, the first one, the one that resided with Dende all those years ago…

Mr. Popo sighed as he watered the wilting plants.

He remembered when Dende had first decided to create his own offspring. The Namek explained that his own beloved elder, Guru, had explained the process to him when he had been a child. A child produced asexually by a Namek did not necessarily mean that the child was an _exact_ duplicate as the parent. When spitting the egg out, the parent had a degree of control as to what the child's abilities were, and what the child would look like. Therefore, it was possible for future generations to become warrior Nameks, even though the ancestry led to a healer Namek.

Mr. Popo sighed as he watered the wilting plants.

But even Kargo's birth had been out of the usual. Most of the Namekian guardians had created their egg in the lookout. Piccolo, after one of his outings with Goushi Muzai, had stumbled home stone drunk, with an egg under his arm.

Needless to say, in the morning, the hung-over and VERY sober Piccolo had been less than pleased.

Mr. Popo sighed as he watered the wilting plants.

He could only hope that Piccolo would make up with Kargo. Perhaps Dende would return, and force them to reconcile.

He put down the watering can, and stared at the clear, blue sky. It was so peaceful…

Suddenly, his mind went blank.

What was he suppose to be doing?

The plants suddenly looked a little more colorful.

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

No one noticed the small bundle of gray that was hiding in the corner of the hovercraft, but that was because they were rapidly approaching Crystal Caves. As they reached the town limits, the group saw several bulldozers near what appeared to be a jumble of rocks, but no caves.

Crystal Caves was a town—an environment that was semi-modern. Towns were not as elaborate in technologies as the cities, but they delved in it more than the feudal villages. What gave Crystal Caves its name was the fact that there were several caves nearby, rich with diamonds and crystals of much worth. Though its denizens could have expanded their town into a city with their wealth, they preferred not to.

Jiro scratched at his hand as he hopped off the hovercraft. "Goddamn squirrel!" he hissed. "It's probably infected now!"

"You know Jiro," Sachiko said, "I could have made you an herbal medicine that would have soothed the pain…"

"Forget it!" Jiro snapped. "I'm not trying any stone-age remedies! Let's just go to the damn doctor and find that goddamn dragonball!"

Hideaki slapped him upside the head. "Jiro! Stop cussing! You're making people stare. Now here's what we'll do. We'll just split up. I'll take Jiro to the doctor. Kargo, Sachiko-chan, you two explore the town a bit, okay? Here—" Hideaki took off her Vidwatch "—take the radar. If you find anything, contact us and we'll be right there, okay?"

"Kay!" Sachiko said cheerfully as Kargo strapped the watch to his wrist and hid his face behind his hood. "Come on, Kargo! Let's go find the caves! I wanna see the shiny stones!"

"She does love them so," Kargo said dully, as Sachiko took his arm. "Shiny things are her favorite things to stare at…"

"Of course! Shiny things are so pretty…"

Hideaki chuckled as Sachiko dragged the Namek towards the large jumble of rocks. She then turned to Jiro, whose face looked somewhat pinched at the scene. "Feeling pain, little brother?" Hideaki teased.

"…Shut up."

Suddenly, a small series of beeps came from Jiro's jeans. Frowning, the boy reached into his pocket, and pulled out the Vidwatch that his father gave to him earlier. "Dad?" Jiro turned the screen on, and nearly shrieked when a smushed face of his father appeared on the projectile.

"Father?" Hideaki stared at the smushed face. "What on Earth?"

"Kids!" Mr. Kutai wailed. "Be on your guard!"

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

A loud beeping came from Sachiko's shorts, but it stopped quickly. Sachiko and Kargo exchanged glances, before shrugging and continuing towards the rocks. As they slowly approached the bulldozers, the girl stared at the pieces of machinery in awe.

"Wow! Look at those…those thingies, Kargo! What are they?"

Kargo smiled. "Those are bulldozers. They move stuff that would normally take at least twenty regular humans to move. Like ten tons of dirt, for example…"

"Oh…" Sachiko watched as the bulldozers moved several piles of rock aside, and smiled. "That is so interesting! I wish the village had one, a smaller one. Then we can move away those pesky rocks that are littering the crop fields."

The Namek sweatdropped. "I don't think that's how the bulldozer works…"

"Hey youze kids!" Sachiko and Kargo looked up to see one of the construction workers approach them. He was slightly fat, and he panted slightly as he finally reached them. "_Hey_! What're youze…doing here, eh? This is…no place…for kids!" On his shirt, there was a name tag that had the word, _Manager_, on it in thick, black letters.

"S'cuse us, mister," Sachiko said politely. "But we were just wondering where the caves were. We wanna see the shiny stones!"

One of the Manager's bushy eyebrows rose questionably as he turned to Kargo, who lowered his eyes so that the man couldn't see his face behind his hood. "Eh, hey man. Youze, eh, wanna see the shiny stones too?"

Kargo flushed in embarrassment. "Well…_she_ wants to…and…I…eh…err…"

"Fuggedaboutit," the Manager said, shaking his head. "Youze kids can't go see the caves anyway. The whole place caved in yesterday."

"Caved—" Sachiko and Kargo stared at each other incredulously, before turning back to the Manager. "How did this happen?" Sachiko cried.

"Well," the Manager began, before another construction worker tumbled out of a nearby Port-a-Potty, giggling as he held a bottle of scotch in his hand.

"YA BUM!" the manager shrieked, his voice so loud that Kargo and Sachiko covered their ears from the pain. "DRINKIN' ON THE JOB AGAIN! I OUTTA SLUG YA!"

"S-so wha'?" the bum slurred, shaking his fist at the Manager. "My s-s-sweet Ana's dead! Stuck in t-t-t-that cave…OH ANA! I LOVE YOU!" With that, the bum burst into tears.

The Manager scowled at the bum, before shaking his head. "Just ignore him, kids. Not worth yer time. But anyways…back to the accident. Some large beam o'light just crashed into the cave. I dunno where it came from. I really hope those punks that're attacking the villages aren't coming after the towns. That would be bad…"

"A beam of light did this?" Kargo asked, paling.

"Yeah. The crash caused the cave to become all messed up, youze see? Some of my boys got trapped in there, and we can't get 'em out! We made this little hole at the entrance—" the man pointed at a small hole in the pile of rocks "—but no one's small enough to fit! And no kid's brave enough to go in there…"

"Sir," Kargo said, his voice sounding strained, "I have a proposition for you."

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

"Ryoushi Ganjou?" Hideaki gasped, staring at the Vidwatch in horror. Mr. Kutai, who had finally backed away from screen, nodded solemnly.

"He's the best bounty hunter in the world, but he's also your mother's third cousin. I wouldn't be surprised if he's a mile away from where you children are now. You've got to get out of there!"

"But the dragonball's in this town!" Jiro yelled. "We can't just leave!"

"Then you must disguise yourselves! Don't appear in public that much, and don't do anything that will attract attention towards yourselves! Please, just be safe!" With that, Mr. Kutai cut the connection.

Jiro scowled at the watch, before giving Hideaki a nervous look. "Is this Ryoushi really that good?"

The older girl trembled for a moment, before nodding. "You know that crazy cannibal, who was undetectable even by the police? The woman they called the Invisible Intestine Indulger?"

"Y-yeah?"

"He caught her."

Jiro's face went pallid as he scratched his hand. "Oh my god. We have to get Sachiko and the freak."

"What about your hand?"

"Forget about my hand!" Jiro snapped. "We have to find—"

"Jiro! Hideaki-chan!" The Kutai siblings looked up, and saw Sachiko running towards them, her face as white as a sheet. She stopped in front of them and bent over, panting heavily. "We—we have—we have to—" She couldn't seem to speak. Hideaki patted Sachiko's back.

"Take deep breaths," Hideaki instructed. "Calm down. Breathe…breathe…breathe…"

Sachiko's breathing slowly evened out, and she stood up straight. Her face was still white. "We have to get to the rocks," Sachiko said. "Those _were_ the caves we saw! But there was a cave-in…Kargo thinks it's because of the dragonball!"

For a moment, both siblings stared at the girl as if she had grown an extra limb. Sachiko frowned, and grabbed Jiro and Hideaki by the arms. Before they could say a word, Sachiko was running top speed towards the cave, dragging them effectively behind her.

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

He couldn't believe it.

Kargo stared at the pile of rocks. The dragonball couldn't have done this. This must have been a freak accident! An accident! This wasn't his fault!

He checked the Vidwatch. According to the radar, the dragonball was definitely in the cave.

He thought of the workers who were still in the cave, and his stomach turned. Were they alright? Were they hungry, thirsty, cold? Did they have enough oxygen? Were they even alive down there?

"Kargo!"

The Namek turned to see Sachiko coming his way, as she dragged both Hideaki and Jiro behind her as if they were pieces of luggage. Normally he would have enjoyed Jiro's predicament, but he was feeling too guilt ridden at the moment…

Sachiko finally stopped in front of him, and dropped the breathless, stunned siblings onto the ground next to her. Hideaki was a bit out of it, having been carried at incredible speeds, but Jiro merely picked himself up and glared at Sachiko angrily.

"What the _fuck_ is your problem?" the teen yelled furiously. "What the hell was so important that you had to drag me and my sister here like packages?"

"There's been a cave-in," Kargo explained, trying with all his might not to smack the human in the face. "The dragonball's in there, but so are several humans. We have to get them out of there before they all—" Kargo struggled for a moment "—before they all _die_."

"W-what?"

"_Are you deaf_?" Kargo screamed. "_I said_—"

"I HEARD YOU!" Jiro roared back. "I NEED A MINUTE FOR THIS TO SINK IN, YOU KNOW!"

"YOU STUPID—"

"STOP IT!" Sachiko shrieked. "WE CAN'T FIGHT NOW! THERE ARE PEOPLE WHO NEED HELP!"

Kargo and Jiro both stopped, and stared at Sachiko in surprise, before they scowled. "How did this happen?" Jiro asked finally.

"The dragonball crashed into the cave," Kargo muttered. "I think the impact may have caused a cave-in. Therein lies our problem."

Jiro's scowl deepened. "So technically, this is all _your_ fault."

"Stop it, Jiro!" Sachiko yelled as Kargo's eyes narrowed. "It doesn't matter whose fault it is! We have to get the dragonball, and we have to help those poor people! If we don't they'll die in there!"

Jiro paused for a moment, his face full of uncertainty.

"_Jiro_!" Sachiko grabbed his hand and held it. "_Please_! We need your help!"

"Alright, alright! Just—just give me a second…" Ignoring his still-unconscious sister lying on the ground, he turned away from Sachiko's pleading eyes, and suddenly realized that some of the construction workers were staring at them. He swore silently.

_So much for not drawing attention to ourselves._

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

The man ran a hand through his brown hair as he walked through the dry grass, frowning as the sun beat down on his head. He didn't like nature very much. Since he was a child, he and nature had an unspoken agreement—they just didn't mesh.

He stared ahead, and spotted a word-down, weather beaten sign.

Crystal Caves.

Peering over his sunglasses, Ryoushi Ganjou sighed. According to his sources, this was where the children's hovercraft was headed for. Hopefully he could find them, knock them out, and throw them back into the slammer—err, home. He sighed, and stuck two earphones into his ears.

If he had been more observant, he would have seen, about 300 yards away, there was a drunken bum lying against some bushes. A gray squirrel was in front of the bum, staring at the drunk with its beady, dark eyes.

"Wha' ya lookin' at?" the bum slurred, glaring cross-eyed at the animal. For a moment, the squirrel did nothing.

Then, without warning, it sprang.

"AAAAAAGGGHHH! HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEELP! OH MY—OH MY GOD! MY HEART! IT'S GNAWING AT MY HEART!"

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

**Kargo: (Stares at last part) O...kay. Well, the Bloodthirsty Squirrelly-Squirrel was a completely random twist! I just hope he's not here to stay…unless he eats Jiro. Then he can stay. Heehee…Anyway, so the three of us are gonna search through the cave-in—WHICH IS TOTALLY NOT MY FAULT! And we're gonna look for the dragonball as Hideaki tries to not be seen by that hunter…OH CRAP! How the hell did he get in? Damn that squirrel!**

**Read and Review.**


	18. PortaPotties Are Not Hiding Places

Disclaimer: I wish I owned the DB series. Then I could make Sachiko, Kargo, and Jiro cannon characters.

A/N: Thanks to Tellemicus Sundance and Magan for their reviews.

This chapter has laffs! It has disgusting humor! It has EXCEREMENT! And…for the female readers…it has KISSING! BWAHAHAHAHA!

For the males, don't worry. More action next chapter.

_**Chapter Eighteen: Port-a-Potties Are Not Hiding Places**_

The town was based on a lie.

Not many people knew this, but the name of the town, Crystal Caves, was a misnomer. Yes, there were many valuable gems. Yes, there were many _entrances_ that allowed easy access to the jewels. In fact, any outsider wouldn't have been able to detect the misnomer at all.

The truth, however, was that there were no Crystal Caves. There was just one—Crystal _Cave_.

Each entrance and each tunnel were all connected to one another at some particular point in the cavern, leading to confusing twists and turns to those unfamiliar with the structure. There were also several dead ends, all made by miners of the past who found the rock too hard to break through, or found the foundation of that area particularly instable. This further complicated the cavern, and developed a sort of labyrinth—a labyrinth of jewels.

Because of this, the denizens often trained miners from childhood on how to get around the cave. Which passage was correct, which entrance was the safest…all was taught so that future miners would not get lost in the cave, and die a miserable, painful, lonely death.

Crystal Cave had been around for three hundred years. Despite all their training, a few miners _still_ managed to get lost. Those who managed to find a way out were considered lucky, but for those who found a dead end…they were never seen again.

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

The Manager's bushy brows knitted together, almost obscuring his eyes as he frowned. "Youze kids sure about this?" he asked as he handed Kargo several flashlights and backpacks. "Entrances One, Three, and Four are completely done in. Entrance Two is the only way in _and_ out…and the hole isn't that big."

"It's okay," Kargo said quietly, before turning his gaze towards the entrance hole. A shiver went up his spine as he stared at what seemed to be a never-ending darkness, and he gulped nervously.

_Please don't let it be my fault,_ he prayed. _Please, please, please let it be some freak accident. Don't let it be my fault, please…_

His thoughts were interrupted when Jiro stepped out of the Port-a-Potty. Kargo narrowed his eyes when he saw the smirk on Jiro's face. The human teen looked far too _happy_ for his own good. "What are you so happy about?" Kargo asked as Jiro approached him. "Ten minutes ago, you looked like you've been force-fed dog shit. Now, you look like you've just force-fed elephant turd to the person who force-fed you dog shit."

"Ha," Jiro said sarcastically. "You know freak, normally I would insult you for that, but seeing as I've just locked my sister in the Port-a Potty, and have taken all the tissues so that she can't use the bathroom even if she wanted to—" Jiro produced a roll of toilet paper from behind his back "—I'll let it go, just this once." Jiro paused as he scratched his bitten hand.

Kargo stared open-mouthed at the smirking teen. "You…you're sick. Weird and sick. That Port-a-Potty is kinda hard to find, and its on the edge of a hill. It might…fall over."

"If only we were that lucky," Jiro said dreamily. "Imagine Hideaki, covered from head to toe in shit…that would make a good Christmas card…"

"EW! Stop speaking! Why'd you even lock her up in the first place?"

"Simple," Jiro said, his smirk slowly turning into a grimace. "I need to keep her out of sight."

"Out of…what are you talking about?"

Jiro shook his head. "I'll explain later. Where's Sachiko?"

The Namek jerked a thumb towards the Manager, who was talking solemnly with the young girl. Jiro groaned, before shouting, "Hey! Geezer!"

"WHAT?" The Manager's head jerked up, his bushy face contorting in anger. "Who the fuck ya think ya are? I am _not_ a geezer! I turned fifty yesterday!"

"He didn't mean it!" Sachiko yelped, attempting to hold back the furious man. "That's just how he says…err…hello!"

"Really? Then let me say hello in my way…with my _fists_!"

Sachiko yelped and held onto the Manager's arm, her feet digging into the ground as she held him back. "Please! Calm down!"

"Yeah, calm down old man," Jiro drawled. "You'll hurt yourself. You might give yourself a heart attack, or a stroke…"

"I WILL NOT GIVE MYSELF A STROKE, YOUZE STUPID PUNK! I'M IN CHRAGE HERE, AND I—I—" The Manager stopped, and leaned against Sachiko heavily, who buckled slightly under the grown man's weight. He brought his hand to his forehead, and shut his eyes tightly. His body was trembling.

"S-sir?" Sachiko peered nervously at the man as she held him up. "Manager-san, sir? Are you okay?"

"Damn," the Manager mumbled. "I think I just gave myself a stroke…"

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

"So you all agree, right? You won't tell anyone we were here, and if anyone asks, you've never seen us before."

The workers nodded at Jiro. The Manager just groaned as he touched his head.

"Also, make sure that my sister stays hidden until we get back. Same rules apply. If any of you betray us, there will be no payment at all. Understand?"

Again, the workers nodded. The manager just groaned as he touched his head.

Jiro smirked as the miners disbursed. He turned to Sachiko and Kargo, who had a nonplussed look on his face. "See, freak? It's like I told you. Money talks."

The Namek snorted. "I don't see why they accepted your stupid money," he mumbled. "They have diamonds galore…you'd think they have _enough_ wealth…"

"Diamonds are not money," Jiro explained, as he scratched his reddening hand. "Now…let's go in before we lose that dragonball."

"Don't forget the workers!" Sachiko piped up as they approached Entrance Two. She looked around, and tilted her head. "Um…where _is_ Hideaki-chan anyway?"

"In the bathroom," Jiro said quickly. "She'll hide for a while, and join us when she's ready."

"Oh." Sachiko smiled. "Okay!"

They were now in front of the hole. Sachiko bent down on her hands and knees—the hole was at the very bottom of the rock pile. The girl took a deep breath, before she began to crawl inside.

The hole was about two feet in diameter. For some adults (especially for those that were wider than most), it would have been extremely difficult to squeeze through. However, for someone as small as Sachiko, it was a breeze. Within seconds, she wiggled into the hole, out of sight.

Both boys waited for Sachiko to give them a sign. A cry, a yell, anything. But after several minutes, they still hadn't heard a response.

"Sachi-chan?" Kargo peered into the entrance, worried. "Sachi-chan? Are you okay?"

He was greeted with silence.

For a moment, Kargo panicked. What was going on in there? Why wouldn't she answer? Did she get hurt already? _Was something living inside that damn cave?_

Suddenly, he heard a sneeze from inside the cave, followed by a soft, distant, "S'cuze me…" The Namek breathed a sigh of relief.

"Damn," he heard Jiro mumble. "I thought something happened to her for a second…"

Kargo sighed, and crawled in after her. For the first few seconds of crawling, he felt okay, if not a little cramped. But as he went on, he slowly began to feel more and more constricted. It was becoming increasingly harder and harder for him to move—the clothing from the sides of his arms were getting torn from the jagged rocks, and he had to go from crawling to wiggling like a worm in order to move without hurting himself.

It was then he realized it.

The entrance hole was like a goddamn ice cream cone. It was wide in the beginning, but it got progressively smaller as it went deeper into the cave.

Damn it, how many fucking rocks were blocking the cavern?

Suddenly, he saw a light at the end. If he could just reach it…he gritted his teeth as he pulled himself towards the light, wincing as a particularly sharp rock dug into his shoulder. He was almost there…he stuck out an arm…

"Kargo!"

He felt a pair of small hands grab his outstretched one, and slowly, his ragged body was pulled through the hole and onto the soft, black dirt.

He decided right there and then that dirt was better than rocks.

"Kargo-kun! Are you okay?" He felt the hands turn him over, and a blinding light was soon stuck in his face. He groaned, and covered his eyes.

"Please, Sachi-chan," he moaned. "I would like to keep my ability to see…move the light."

The blinding light moved.

Kargo slowly stood up, and gingerly touched the scratches on his arms and shoulder. "Ow, ow, ow…" He looked around, trying to adjust his eyes to the darkness. He spied a broken light bulb nearby, and with the flashlight, he could see the outline of several wires and broken light bulbs on the ceiling of the cave.

There had been light here before, but there was absolutely no light now. With the exception of Sachiko and her flashlight, the cave was pitch black.

"GODDAMN IT! SACHIKO! FREAK! GET ME OUT OF HERE!"

_Ah,_ Kargo thought. _Rich boy has just discovered the cave's narrowing effects._ He smirked as he watched Sachiko try to pull out the human teen, who was currently screaming every curse known to man.

_If he doesn't stop soon, Sachiko's gonna try to wash his mouth out with soap…_

"Hey freak!" Jiro yelled from his uncomfortable position in the hole. "Get off your lazy green ass and _help me_, already!"

"Fuck you," Kargo said calmly.

"'FUCK YOU'? DAMN IT! I HOPE YOU DIE! I HOPE THAT BOUNTY HUNTER VAPORIZES YOU! I HOPE HE RIPS YOU APART AND FEEDS YOUR BALLS TO THE RATS!"

Kargo was about to flip him off when he realized what Jiro had just said. He turned to the human with wide eyes. "What bounty hunter? What are you talking about?"

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

"Where are they?"

With hard rock music roaring in his ears, Ryoushi frowned as he walked towards the caves. Sweat, bugs, dirt, bugs, leaves, bugs, sun, bugs…bugs…_bugs_! He cursed as he brushed the tenth bug off of his black trench coat, and venomously stomped on the insect with his boot.

He hated bugs.

He hated the outdoors.

He hated _nature_.

And now, because of forcing him to go through all this, he hated his family members even more than he did before. If that was even possible…

When Miyuki Burugashi Kutai had called him, he had been surprised. For all his life, Miss _I'm-too-good-to-even-talk-to-you-so-get-away-from-me_ hardly ever spoke to him, not that he particularly enjoyed her company either. Who in their right mind calls their own relation, "Raw Trash Shit"? Even if her side of the family _was_ richer, what right did that give her, eh?

Upon her marriage to Yuji Kutai (and he felt utmost pity for the poor man) she had stopped speaking to him entirely. He hadn't been sorry for that. Before her arranged engagement, she had tormented him endlessly about his job, that he should stop catching lowlifes and get some decent work.

He would have gladly told her to fuck off if her father hadn't been one of the councilmen of Central City.

When she had told him of her children's disappearance, he had told her coolly that he expected them to run away much sooner. When she had demanded an explanation, he simply did not answer her, and chuckled quite loudly, just to piss her off. After listening to twenty minutes of her ranting, he had been on the verge of hanging up when she suddenly mentioned the word, "payment."

That piqued his interest, and he listened for more.

Now, here he was…five million in his grasp, another five waiting for him after he finished the job. All he had to do was find the two brats, then kill the other two brats when the first two brats weren't looking.

He had been surprised when Miyuki asked him for an actual hit mission, but he shrugged it off. Going from her rants, the culprits were a man covered in green body paint, and some feudal village whore. She hadn't given him an exact age, but he assumed that the two were around Hideaki's age—around eighteen. That made them legal adults, and he could kill them without worry.

During his long moment of contemplation, Ryoushi failed to notice a lone figure in the bushes. The bloody and mangled bum looked up with his remaining blue eye, and saw Ryoushi walking towards the caves. Using all of his strength, the bum lifted a torn, bloody arm.

"Help me," the bum whispered. "Oh gods…Mister, you've got to help me! That—that squirrel thing! He's gone now, but he'll be back! I just barely got away!" The bum gasped for a moment, and choked up blood…along with something else. "Oh gods…there's _dirt_! There's _dirt_ in my lungs!"

The bum looked up, and saw Ryoushi walking away, the earphones blocking out everything around him. The bum's jaw dropped for a moment, before he shut it in pain. "For the love of..._help me_!"

Suddenly, there was a rustling in the bushes. The bum slowly turned his head around, and saw the Bloodthirsty Squirrelly-Squirrel...with his gray fur completely soaked in blood. The bum choked back a cry as the squirrel's eyes glistened, and he quickly snapped his head back towards Ryoushi. "HELP ME, GODDAMN IT!" he screamed. "HELP ME! EEEEEEEEK!"

The bum screamed as the squirrel pounced on his face.

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

"Did youze hear something?" the Manager asked one of his coworkers. She snorted, and turned back to Entrance Two.

"It's the bum," she said emotionlessly. "He's probably screaming his brains out for Ana. Leave him alone."

The Manager sighed. "True…"

"Say, have you noticed that one of those boys looked like that no-good bum? I mean, black hair, blue eyes…"

"So what? We have ten people here with black hair and blue eyes."

"Well…"

"And anyway, it's not like it's anything important. It's not like a bloodthirsty squirrel's after the kid's heart. Fuggedaboutit, will ya?"

The female coworker pouted. "It was just an observation…"

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

"Oh…" Hideaki moaned as she sat up. "What happened?"

Suddenly, a foul odor smacked her nostrils, and she gagged as she pinched her nose. Wide awake now, she looked around, and found herself in a small, cramped, dark little room, which smelled horribly like…

"Shit!" she cried. "Oh my gods, this is the _Port-a-Potty_!" She got up and tried to open the door, only to find it locked. "No!" she screamed. "Let me out of here! Let me out! It smells really bad in here! My nostril hairs are _burning_!"

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

Kargo growled as he forced himself to remain calm. "A bounty hunter…you know, these are the sorts of things you tell your friends_ immediately_!"

"Hmm…you're right." Jiro scratched his hand as he turned to Sachiko. "Sachiko, I'm sorry for not telling you about Ryoushi."

"HEY!" Kargo roared. "WHAT ABOUT ME?"

"Oh. I didn't know you considered yourself my _friend_…"

Kargo let out a scream of frustration, until Sachiko grabbed his arm and hugged it tightly. "Kargo-kun, calm down! Just look at the shiny stones! They're _so _pretty! Please?" She gave him a pleading look, and he bit his lip in frustration before forcibly turning his head to gaze at the blue crystals.

There hadn't been many jewels at the entrance—mostly dirt, and specks of gems too small to be of any real worth. But as they went deeper into the cave, the three couldn't help but stare at the hundreds of sapphires illuminated by Sachiko's flashlight. Even Jiro was impressed, rich as he was.

Kargo smiled as Sachiko went into her third peal of delight as the stones sparkled. Even though they were on a serious search, her presence lighted the mood somewhat.

But it couldn't lighten too much. Kargo sighed as he rubbed his sore, stinging arms. "Okay," he said, his voice once again calm. "Back to business. The two missing miners were last seen near Entrance Two and Three, the sapphire and diamond areas. The Manager said all we have to do is follow this map—" he produced a map from inside his hoodie "—and we should be okay."

"How much food and water do we have?" Sachiko asked nervously, as she shrugged her backpack over her shoulder.

"We have enough for a while, but it's best if we get out as soon as possible. That's why we're using only one flashlight, even though we have three."

"Hee hee." Sachiko giggled as she shone the light on a unusually large sapphire.

"Until then, we have to conserve our supplies—"

_Muncha-cruncha._

"—as much as possible." Kargo turned to Jiro, who was chewing noisily on one of the protein bars. The Namek gave him a icy glare, which the teen matched as he chewed and swallowed.

"What? What'd I do now?"

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

Hideaki pounded on the plastic door, her nails digging into her fists as she did so.

"Come on! You can't do this to me! Kargo! Sachiko! Jiro! Get me out of here!"

She pounded on the door once more before she slumped to the floor. Drawing her legs to her chest, she rested her sweaty forehead on her knees and moaned.

She had long gotten used to the stink of feces and urine—but she couldn't take the small space. She hated small spaces…she always felt that they were closing in on her, that she was running out of air…She slowly began to rock back and forth. She had to get out of here! NOW!

Wait a minute. What was that?

She moved to her knees, and pressed her ear against the door. Before, she couldn't hear anything over the sound of construction. But now, everything was silent.

Well, almost everything.

She froze when she heard a clear, smooth tenor voice.

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

Ryoushi had taken off his shades a while ago, and his dark eyes were now fully visible to the confused miners in front of him. _Time to get down to business._

"I'm looking for Hideaki and Jiro Kutai," he said smoothly, as he took out a picture from his coat pocket. He passed it around, and asked, "Have any of you seen these two brats, I mean, _kids_? They've been missing from home for a while now, and their mother is _worried sick_ about them."

He bit his lip to refrain from laughing at his own joke. _Worried sick…I slay myself._

"We haven't seen any kids," a fat man with a bushy face said. "Haven't you heard? The caves collapsed. No one comes by now—it's too dangerous."

"Hmm." Ryoushi raised a brow. Normally he would try to read the person's face when he asked a question, but he couldn't see the man's face _clearly_, due to all the bushy hair. He turned to the other miners, and stopped when he noticed a young man with dark hair and blue eyes staring at the picture intently.

"I've seen them before!" the young man exclaimed, as one of the female workers tried to shush him. "That's the boy who went into the cave and told us not to tell anyone! Boy, I hope he's okay…It's been a while since he when in…What? Why are you all staring at me?"

The other workers glared at the young man, and several smacked their hands against their foreheads.

Ryoushi's lips curved into a smile. "Thank you very much." He placed a small mask over his face, and threw a small canister in the middle of the worksite.

Within seconds, green gas emerged from the canister.

0 + 0 + 0 + 0 + 0 + 0 + 0 + 0 + 0 + 0 + 0 + 0

Hideaki gasped when she heard bodies hitting the ground. Oh gods, what was going on?

Suddenly, she saw wisps of green seep underneath the cracks in the door. She stifled a scream and quickly moved back, leaning against the back of the Port-a-Potty as she stood on the toilet seat.

No, no, no, no, no! This was sleeping gas! That guy was looking for Jiro and everyone who could help them was unconscious! And she would be too if she didn't get out of this shithole!

Wait. Was the Port-a-Potty tilting?

Hideaki screamed as the portable toilet rolled over…and over…and over…in mid-scream, something brown and chunky slapped her in the face.

"OH MY GODS! VIOLATED! I'VE BEEN VIOLATED!"

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

They were at a dead end.

Kargo checked the map as he tried to ignore the pain in his arms and shoulder. He could have sworn that they came by this way before. He stopped when he heard a crinkling. He looked down, and saw that his foot had stepped on a wrapper…the wrapper of a recently opened protein bar.

Goddamn it! They _had _come this way before!

"Kargo-kun?" Sachiko gave him a worried look as his grip tightened on the map. "What's wrong? Are we lost?"

"No," he replied gruffly. "We're fine. I know exactly what I'm doing."

"That's what you said ten minutes ago," Jiro snarled. "I'm getting tired of seeing a wall at the end of each fucking tunnel!"

"I don't see _you_ trying to find a way around!" Kargo hissed back, baring his fangs. "So unless _you_ want to try to figure out this goddamn map, shut your mouth!"

"Pfh. Whatever." Jiro leaned against the wall of the cave as he scratched his now swollen hand. "Goddamn that squirrel…" He froze when Sachiko suddenly grasped his hand. She stared at the bite intently, before her eyes widened.

"Jiro!" she cried. "This is infected! Why didn't you say anything?"

The human teen yanked his hand back and snorted. "It's just a bite! It's nothing to scream about."

"Yes it is!" Sachiko reached into the pocket of her shorts, and rummaged around for a moment before she pulled out a small ointment tube. She squeezed a thin portion into the center of her index finger, and turned to Jiro. "Give me your hand," she ordered.

"What is that?" Jiro asked nervously, recoiling slightly from the ointment.

"It's Witch Hazel. My Grandpa and I made it a while ago. I wouldn't use this for bites, but I don't have the right medicine with me now, so this'll have to do. Hand, please."

"No way!" Jiro yelled, pulling his hand back. "I told you, no stone-age remedies!"

"You wanna lose that hand?" Sachiko asked angrily.

"Hell no!"

"Then…" She wiggled the finger with the ointment.

Jiro frowned, before he stuck out his fist. "Stupid squirrel with his stupid bite," he mumbled.

Sachiko sighed. Taking his fist, she unclenched his contorted fingers as she gently rubbed the ointment on the wound. Jiro flinched for a minute, as if her touch alone was causing him severe pain. Then, slowly, his body relaxed, and his frown lessened somewhat as her fingers slowly circled the injury.

Kargo watched all this with narrowed eyes.

After a few minutes, Sachiko rubbed more Witch Hazel on the wound, before she gave Jiro's hand a soft squeeze. "There," she said. "That wasn't so bad, was it?"

Jiro quickly yanked his hand away, and turned his face to the side. "Whatever," he mumbled. "At least it doesn't itch as much."

Sachiko sighed again, before she turned to Kargo. "What about you, Kargo-kun? Any injuries?"

"Just my arms and my shoulder," he said quickly, rolling up the sleeves of his hoodie. Sachiko took a quick look, and smiled.

"They don't seem too bad," she said, but she applied some ointment anyway. When Sachiko wasn't looking, Kargo stuck his tongue at Jiro, who flipped him off. "There. Feel better now?"

"_Much_."

The young girl put away the ointment tube, and frowned. Then, without warning, she took a deep breath, and shouted at the top of her lungs. "EXCUSE ME? IS THERE ANYONE WHO NEEDS HELP? WE'RE HERE TO RESCUE YOU—Mmmph!"

A green hand slapped over Sachiko's mouth, and the girl looked at the owner questioningly, as he gave her a bewildered stare.

"Sachiko! Have you lost your mind? What the hell are you yelling like a lunatic for?"

"The last thing we need is another cave-in!" Jiro added, his face equally shocked. "What's wrong with you?"

Sachiko moved Kargo's hand away from her mouth. "If the miners are alive, then they'll answer us!" Sachiko explained, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "We can't just wander around, hoping we'll find them! We have to actually _look_ for them, and that means calling for them!"

"Come on, kid!" Jiro said exasperatedly. "Stuff like that only happens in dumb action and adventure stories. What're the chances they'll hear us? This cave must go on for miles! Who would actually—"

"Excuse me?" a distant female voice called out weakly. "Is someone there?"

Sachiko grinned as both boys stared at her in shock.

"Don't…say…anything," Jiro snapped as Sachiko opened her mouth. "Just…go."

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

"THE HORROR! THE HORROR! MAKE IT ALL GO AWAY!"

Hideaki covered her face as the Port-a-Potty continued to roll. Excrement was _covering_ her body now, and her clothes were soaked with day-old urine.

_Shower! I need a shower!_

"I promise this to the gods!" she screamed. "I will _make out_ with the person who stops this crazy thing! I mean it! I'll French kiss them and everything!"

CLUNK!

The girl shrieked as her body rammed against the wall of the Port-a-Potty. She grasped at the toilet seat, crying as the door of the portable stall flew open. Light flooded the box, and Hideaki wiped away some feces from her face, trying to make herself look somewhat presentable before she went back to the outside world.

"Huh. I didn't think anyone was in this rolling trash heap," a low, rough voice said. "Are you alright—OH MY GODS!"

Hideaki turned towards the speaker, and her light blue eyes widened when she saw what had to be an older, more muscular version of Kargo. The man was dressed in black and white, and he was backing away from the Port-a-Potty, holding his nose as he tried not to look at her.

"Stay away from me, please," he said in a none-too-gentle tone. "I mean no offense to you, Miss, but…" he winced as she stepped out of the stall.

For a moment, all she could do was stare. What was she supposed to do? She was scared, shocked, surprised, and grateful all at once. She took a step towards the green man, who took a _larger_ step back. "You saved me," she said, more to herself than to him. The green man bit his lip, as if he wished with all his heart that he had _not_.

She took another step towards the man, who took another step back. "Please, Miss," the green man said. "I'm just looking for my boy. He looks like me, except…well, younger, and he wears a blue hooded sweatshirt—MMMMPH!"

The green man froze as Hideaki ran up to him, threw her arms around his neck, and kissed him straight on the lips.

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

**Kargo: EW! EW, EW, EW, EW! Hideaki did NOT just do what I think she did, did she? Tell me it ain't so! Anyway, next chapter, Ryoushi finally makes his way in. The first confrontation is about to begin! HEY! Is that the dragonball?**

**Read and review.**


	19. Separation, Darkness, and Bugs

Disclaimer: I don't own anything except for the original characters.

A/N: I just watched the movie, Fusion Reborn. WHAT HAVE THEY DONE TO PIKKON? They murdered his character! (Runs off sobbing)

I haven't written a decent fight scene since chapter 12. Here's hoping that I still got it.

**_Chapter Nineteen: Separation, Darkness, and Bugs_**

"Bleh! PA-TOOEY! Disgusting!"

Hideaki flushed as she sank underneath the lake water. Okay, so she hadn't been in one of her more normal mental states during the kiss. _But really,_ she thought as she splashed her face with water, _after being covered in excrement for god-knows-how-long, who on Earth would be normal? _Besides…she _did_ promise the gods that she would kiss the one who saved her.

"Unbelievable! Ugh!"

Her savior seemed to understand. In fact, he understood so much that he returned the kiss by promptly hurling her into the nearest body of water available, while screaming his head off like a lunatic.

"Never in my life! The taste! I can't get rid of the taste!"

_Asshole._

"Shameless girl! Not even Taka was this bold! At least she respected my personal space!"

His commentary, coupled with the memory of him throwing her into the lake, made Hideaki glare angrily in his direction…before she coughed nervously and turned away as the green man, or Piccolo, as he called himself, began to venomously rip off his feces covered clothing.

"Aggh! The horror! THE DISGUSTING, DEFILING, DUNG-RIDDEN HORROR!"

"I get it!" Hideaki yelled, trying to hide her blush while Piccolo continued to shamelessly disrobe. "I'll never lock lips with you again, okay? Just chill! And keep your briefs on!" she added hastily as the Namekian reached for his last piece of undergarment. As much as she liked muscular men, green wasn't really her thing…

Piccolo glared at her, but said nothing as he spat bitterly to the side and wiped his lips. He stood up, with his clothes tucked under his arm into a dirty bundle, and tossed them far into the lake, grimacing as the load quickly sank under the water. Hideaki watched all this with a raised brow.

"Well, that was stupid," she said, as she floated on her back. "What are you going to wear now? You can't just parade around in your underwear, even if you _do_ have lots of muscles. You'll get thrown in jail, or get raped by horny old women. Or both."

Piccolo snorted, before he placed a hand over his chest.

"What are you doing?" Hideaki asked.

Piccolo didn't respond. Instead, he closed his eyes, his face scrunching up as if he was in deep thought. Slowly, his hand began to glow as he moved it over his chest, his stomach, and his legs. Hideaki's eyes widened—where his hand went, clothing slowly materialized, and he continued this process until he had a brand new black-and-white gi.

Hideaki's jaw dropped. _Did he just…he just made…oh my goodness!_

"Hey!" Hideaki cried, as she swam over to the fully clothed Namek. She crawled out of the lake and wobbled over to him, her legs somewhat unaccustomed to solid ground. "How'd you do that? You've got to teach me that trick! It'll save me hundreds on clothing!"

"That was no trick, girl," Piccolo said roughly, his face holding a look of pure displeasure. "That was simple ki manipulation."

"…what?"

"Ki! Don't you know what ki is?"

"Um…well, I have seen my brother shoot beams out of his hands lately, but I thought that was just a cool trick…"

"Feh. Never mind." Piccolo turned and began to walk away. "Humans…don't know why I waste my time…"

"Wait!" Hideaki cried, her wet sneakers sloshing on the ground as she tried to catch up to the Namek. "You can't just leave me! I'm sopping wet! I don't have any spare clothing, and I don't know how to do that tri—I mean, ki manipulation thing!"

Piccolo snorted. "Forgive me for not caring. Now if you'll excuse me, I have an idiot son to find."

"But…but…" Hideaki stared at Piccolo's retreating back in desperation as she fell to her knees. If he left her, she would be all alone in the middle of nowhere, with shit covered clothing, with no means of getting back to Crystal Caves. What was she going to do? "Damn you all!" she cried out loud. "Damn you, Jiro! Damn you, Sachiko! Damn you Kargo! I bet you were all in on this, just to destroy me!"

"Kargo?" Piccolo suddenly stopped, and stared at her. Hideaki looked up as the Namek walked quickly back towards her, and eeped when he grabbed her shoulders and yanked her onto her feet. "You know my son?" he asked, his eyes wide. "Where is he? What have you done to him?"

Hideaki's jaw dropped for the second time. "You're Kargo's father?" she asked in surprise. Then she smirked. "Hmm…you're Kargo's father…"

"Yes, I'm that idiot's father! Sachiko must be with him too, isn't she? Are they alright?"

"Maybe," Hideaki said slyly. Piccolo growled, and lowered his face until it was inches away from hers.

"Tell me where they are," he hissed. "Tell me, or so help the gods, I'll—"

"Nah-uh," Hideaki scolded, wagging a finger in-between their faces. "If you hurt me, I won't tell you anything, and then you'll be right back to square one." Her smirk grew as Piccolo's eyes widened even more, before his lips pulled into a snarl. He pushed her away from him, and faced the lake.

"What do you want?" he said through gritted teeth.

"Well, could you make some clothes for me first? I'm freezing here, Mr. Piccolo."

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

Ryoushi frowned as he checked the opening.

The hole was two feet in diameter. He checked his waist and his shoulders, before he shook his head. Slim as he was, he wouldn't be able to get through unless someone was at the other end to help pull him out. His eyes turned back to the unconscious miners. Damn it, he should have forced one of the skinnier miners to help him before knocking them all out.

Then again…there was always Plan B.

The man smirked, and covered his eyes with his shades. He stepped back from the entrance, making sure that there was at least fifteen feet between him and the rock, before he stopped and raised his right arm.

When his arm was perpendicular to his body, his fist opened, so that his palm was facing the entrance. Slowly, his hand began to glow with an orange-red light, and a large ball of energy was slowly forming in his open hand.

He had to do this correctly, and carefully. The tiniest slip could result in the destruction of the entire cave.

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

Sachiko smiled as the large, dark-skinned woman took a long drink of water. "Better, Ana-san?" she asked kindly when the miner finished drinking, and politely took the near-empty flask back as the woman gasped and coughed the water down.

Ana was a mess. Not only did she have an injured leg, but her condition of dehydration and starvation was so bad that she could only nod at Sachiko as she leaned back against the wall of the cave. As her breathing slowly became normal again, Ana reached for one of the protein bars and savagely ripped one open with her teeth, taking a huge bite as soon as the wrapper was off.

"Where's the other miner?" Kargo asked, his face carefully concealed behind his hood. His eye twitched slightly as the woman wolfed down the crude food. "Is he nearby? Is he alright?" The Namek had to wait several minutes until the entire contents of the protein bar were down Ana's throat. Then, the woman sighed with content, before she turned to him with a worried stare.

_About time_, Kargo thought.

"I don't know where Tom-Tom is," Ana said finally, her voice hoarse and cracked. "I haven't seen him since before the explosion. Last I heard, he was in the sapphire area, and was headed off towards the emerald area. But—" Ana stared at the diamonds sparkling above their heads "—that's near Entrance One. I think we're near Entrance Three, maybe even Entrance Four…"

"We came in through Entrance Two," Jiro said thoughtfully. "So we have to double back. One of us can get Ana out of here, while the others go for the other miner." _And the dragonball_, he thought privately.

"Not that simple," Kargo said. He threw a quick glance at the women, before he whispered to Jiro, "I'm not entirely sure, but something tells me that Ana isn't going to fit easily through the hole."

"Whad'ya mean?" Jiro whispered back, before he stopped. He turned to Ana, who was being tended to by Sachiko, and cringed. "Oh…"

The entrance hole, while being two feet in diameter at the start, was less than a foot and a half by the end. While the smaller-than-average Sachiko had slipped through easily, he and Kargo had had trouble getting out, and would no doubt have trouble trying to fit through again, unless they widened the hole. But for Ana…while he found her personality to be entirely decent, she was what his father would have called, "pleasingly plump, and fully-figured."

In other words, she was goddamn fat.

"Oh…_shit_," Jiro said out loud.

"Jiro!" Sachiko scolded. "No cussing!"

Jiro ignored the younger girl, and turned towards Ana with a somewhat frightened look. "Ana, please tell me that this Tom-Tom is a stick figure."

The dark woman laughed, before wincing in pain over her leg. "Ow…Tom-Tom? He doesn't even know the _meaning_ of the word skinny. We all tell him, 'Tom-Tom, one of these days, you're gonna kill yourself with all that grease you're stuffing down your throat.' The bastard just laughs, and tells us that he has a wife at home if he wants to look at someone skinny."

Jiro paled, and began to bang his head against the cavern walls.

"Wonderful," Kargo said sarcastically, as Jiro's banging echoed throughout the cave. "Just peachy."

"Is…there a problem?" Ana asked nervously. Sachiko, who didn't quite understand the reason why the others were so distressed, merely smiled and patted the older woman's hand.

"There's no problem!" she said cheerily. "We'll get you out of here faster than you can say, Amaterasu!"

"Oh." The woman smiled, and held the Sachiko's hand tightly. "Bless you, child."

"You always have to be the optimist," Kargo muttered as he stared at Sachiko. The girl smiled, before she cocked her head.

"What's an optimist?" she asked.

"Never mind," Kargo said quickly. Turning back to Ana, he asked quietly, "So…Ana-san. What exactly caused the explosion?"

Ana bit her lip, and she furrowed her brows. "I'm not quite sure," she said slowly. "I remember working on getting this big ole' diamond out—it's been giving us all a headache for ages. Then out of nowhere, this flash of light comes crashing through, and it speeds off towards Entrances One and Two…"

"But is that what caused the cave-in?" Kargo pressed, his knuckles turning white from his clenched fists.

The woman frowned. "I don't think so…not right away, anyway. There was a big explosion from the other end of the cave…from Entrance One, I think. Then, I heard another explosion, from Entrance Two. Then, there was an explosion here…I just barely managed to dunk for cover. Then, there was one at Entrance Four—"

"What?" Sachiko yelped. "Were there explosions all over the cave?"

Ana nodded. "Of course there were, child! We needed them to get some of the really big gems out!"

While Sachiko was stunned (and even more concerned with Ana's injuries than before) Kargo was slightly relieved. This _was_ nothing more than a freak accident! Sure, the dragonball may have crashed into the cave, but the cave-in was caused by a chain reaction of explosives in the cave! He was clear!

"YES!" Kargo yelled, as he pumped his fist into the air. "I'M INNOCENT! I'M IN THE CLEAR! HA HA HA HA HA!"

Silence.

Blinking, Kargo looked around to find everyone staring at him, with looks of fright (this came from Ana), worry (this came from Sachiko), and question (this came from Jiro, who stopped banging his head out of sheer curiosity).

"Freak, if you're going to go insane on us, do it when we're out of this cave." With that, Jiro returned to banging his already red forehead against the wall.

Frowning, Kargo narrowed his eyes at the human teen, and shook his head. "You know, you're going to knock yourself out if you keep doing that. Not that I mind, though. I don't think you have that many brain cells in your head anyway."

"Shut—up," Jiro spat as he banged his head between words. "I'm—trying—to—think—of—a—solution—to—this—shitty—"

Unfortunately, he never finished his sentence. There was a large glow of orange-red light in the distance, before a blinding flash and a deafening boom overtook their senses.

BOOM!

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

"What was that?"

A line of dark gray smoke began to trail towards the sky. Both Piccolo and Hideaki exchanged nervous looks as they flew towards the caves.

"It was an explosion," Piccolo said, the ceases in his forehead deepening. "But it seems strange…"

"How so?" Hideaki asked, her arms tight around Piccolo's neck as he carried her through the air. "What'd you see?"

"It's not what I _saw_," the Namek explained. "It's what I _sensed_. Something doesn't feel right down there, and I can't sense my son, Sachiko, or your brother at all. Every other power level I sense seems dormant, for some strange reason."

"Would it be because someone knocked out everyone with sleeping gas?" Hideaki asked nervously. Piccolo gave her a startled look.

"_Sleeping gas_? What are you talking about?"

Hideaki gulped nervously, and turned away from Piccolo's stare. "Look, I don't know all the details, but there's a bounty hunter after me and my brother. He's supposed to be astonishingly good, and if he catches us…well, I'm not sure what he'll do to us. What's worse…I don't know what he'll do to Kargo and Sachiko."

Piccolo paled, and turned his gaze towards Crystal Caves. "I hope to Amaterasu that they're all right," he said in a low voice. He paused, before his lips curled into a forced smirk. "They'd _better_ be alright," he corrected himself, his voice stronger this time. "I still have to pound some sense into that lunkhead son of mine for worrying me."

"Hmm. What do you have against him searching for the dragonballs? He's doing a good thing."

"You don't understand. Those things are not meant to exist in this world."

"But he's just trying to help Sachiko and the villages. She'll get her family back, and you'll get your friends back, as well as have Kargo's gratitude for letting him do this. Isn't that worth it?"

Piccolo didn't respond. Hideaki sighed, and looked down at her clothing.

"Can you at least answer this question?" she asked.

"What?"

"Why'd you dress me in _this_?" Hideaki asked, sweatdropping as she pointed to the tight black jeans and revealing green halter top.

At that, Piccolo's face turned slightly purple. "Well…that's what Taka wore all the time."

"Who the hell is this Taka you keep mentioning? Is she your girlfriend or something?"

Piccolo didn't answer.

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

Brushing a stray strand of brown hair away from his face, Ryoushi jumped over the small rubble of rocks that blocked Entrance Two.

The two feet hole was gone. The entrance was almost completely restored, save the few chunks of rock his blast missed.

He had aimed his blast carefully. Training over the years had taught him how to maintain control over the energy so that he could direct—and redirect—where it went, but in certain situations, even that wasn't enough. In this case, if he miscalculated, he would have the blood of several young adults on his hands.

In all honesty, he didn't need any _more_.

Turning on the flashlight he swiped from an unconscious miner, he looked around the ruined cavern. He grimaced as he saw the rubble and rock everywhere, along with several scarred sapphires that were worth nothing now. His blast must have been stronger than he realized.

_Oh well. As long as the place didn't cave in, I'm happy._

He walked on, until he reached a three-way split in the tunnel. One led to the left, another led to the middle, and the final one led to the right.

"Ah, crap," Ryoushi mumbled. Now what was he supposed to do? Finding no other option, he pointed a finger towards the left entrance, and mumbled, "Eenie, Meenie, Minee, Moe." He frowned, before he shrugged his shoulders. "Left it is."

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

_It's dark. It's dark. It shouldn't be this dark._

_Maybe you should open your eyes, stupid._

Slowly, Kargo willed his eyes to open. They felt heavier than marble, but he managed to raise them so that he could see through the slits.

He saw nothing but absolute darkness.

Kargo panicked slightly, and tried to get up—when his arm brushed against a warm body. He yelped for a minute, before the body moaned very softly. "Oh…K-Kargo-kun? W-why is it so dark?"

"Sachi-chan!" Kargo groped around for a moment, until he could feel her face. His fingers brushing against her cheek, he almost cried out with relief. "Sachi-chan! Are you okay?"

He heard Sachiko sniffle as he felt her slowly sit up. "Ow…_ow_…my head hurts," she whimpered. "Something sharp hit me here." She directed his hand from her cheek towards her forehead.

"What?" Kargo gently touched her forehead. It felt wet, so he assumed that it was sweat…until she pushed his hand up higher. Then, the wetness became sticker. And thicker. A sharp, metallic smell hit his nostrils, and he gasped.

"Oh my gods." She was bleeding.

"Is it bad?" Sachiko asked, her voice full of fright. "I know it's bleeding…but is it bad?"

"N-no," Kargo lied. "It's not that bad. But just hold on." He reached over his shoulder, and grabbed the pack, which had miraculously managed to stay on his back. He rummaged around, until he found what felt to be the First-Aid Kit, and pulled out several elastic bandages.

"What're you doing?" Sachiko whimpered.

"Hold still," Kargo ordered. He wrapped the cloth around her head as best as he could in the dark, pausing every once in a while to wipe away some of the tears that began streaming down her face. When he reached the end of the bandage, he pinned the ends together carefully. "There. That should do it."

Sachiko only sniffled and hugged him around the waist. "I don't like this," she whispered. "I don't like the dark, because bugs come out when it's dark! Where's the flashy-light?"

_Good question_, Kargo thought. He looked around, his eyes trying to adjust to the darkness, until he spotted a flicker of light from several feet away. "Hey!" Kargo yelled, trying to stand up. "Ana! Rich Boy! Are you there?"

There was no response. A feeling of fear crept into his innards as he pulled himself and Sachiko to their feet. Slowly, they walked towards the light, still trying to see through the darkness.

Kargo walked on—until he ran smack into what felt like a stone wall. Cursing silently, he squinted his eyes, trying to see exactly what had blocked him as he ran his hands over what seemed to be a pile of rocks.

Strange. This hadn't been here before…

Sachiko bent down and picked up the flashlight, which flickered for a moment, before dying out. The small girl shrieked, and began to shake the device hysterically until the light began to flicker again. "Stay on!" she cried. "Please stay on!" Suddenly, a centipede crawled over from the flashlight onto her hand, and she screamed as she tried to shake the insect off. "BUG! BUG! GET IT OFF! _PLEASE, GET IT OFF_!"

Kargo grabbed her from behind, and held her still as she screamed and twisted in fear. Quickly, he reached for her flailing hand and plucked off the insect, throwing it as far away as he could. Sachiko continued to cry as he held her, trying to calm her down. "It's okay," he whispered. "It's gone. It's gone…"

Sachiko continued to cry. She pointed the flickering flashlight ahead of them. It was then Kargo realized it.

The pile of rubble he had felt…it really _hadn't_ been there before. There had been another cave-in, and now they were all separated again. Jiro and Ana were on the other side of the wall, close to Entrance Two, while he and Sachiko were stuck near Entrance Four.

Unfortunately, he and Sachiko had no way out.

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

His shades off, Ryoushi cursed as he found another dead end. Damn it, didn't this place have a goddamn map, or something? The miners could at least put up some signs on which way to go in the cave!

He doubled back, his light glinting on several emeralds that sparkled on the ground. When noticing a particularly large one, he paused for a moment, before he picked it up and slipped it into his pocket.

Hey, if he was stuck here, he might as well profit from it.

"You shouldn't do that."

Ryoushi turned around, and found a very obese man hunched in the corner of the tunnel. The man was clutching something tightly to his chest. Ryoushi raised a brow, before he walked over to the man.

"Stay back!" the fat man cried. "I've got nothing, you hear me? I'm just a poor old man!"

"Relax," Ryoushi said calmly. "I'm not going to hurt you. But what are you doing here? This place is caved-in."

"You think I don't know that?" the man shrieked, clutching the object closer to his chest. "I've been here for gods-know-how-long, praying so that I don't end up dying here!"

"Hmm." Ryoushi frowned. He wasn't one for believing in gods. "What's that you have there?" he asked, trying to change the subject.

The fat man looked at the object in his chest. "What, this? I don't know," he said. "This came crashing into the cave a while ago. Crashed right into the explosives I set nearby. I don't know what this is, but it caused the dynamite to go off…"

He held out the object to Ryoushi, who stared at it with interest.

It was an orange orb, which gleamed brightly in the light as he took it from the fat man's hand. The lone red star in the middle stood out amongst the orange, and Ryoushi felt a strange sort of warmth from the ball that he hadn't felt in ages.

"Eerie, ain't it?" the fat man asked. "It's like its alive, or something."

Ryoushi didn't answer. Instead, he held the orb tightly in his fist, and continued to walk down the tunnel.

"Hey!" The fat man stood up unsteadily, and plodded after him. "Hey! Where you going? Don't just leave me here, damn it! HEY!"

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

With his flashlight out and operating, Jiro stared at the stone rubble in horror. "Oh fuck…"

"Oh no," Ana cried. "That boy! That poor girl! What are we gonna do? We can't just leave them there! They'll die!"

"Damn it!" Jiro cursed. He turned to Ana, and bent down so that they were eye level. "Is there any way for them to get out of there?"

Ana frowned. "Well, the quickest way would have been through here, and out of Entrance Two. But now, they're gonna have to go through Entrance Four, find the passage to Entrance One, and then find the passage to Entrance Two. It's a long detour."

"Ah, fuck!" Jiro punched his fist against the wall. _The freak is alone with Sachiko,_ he thought angrily._ He'll probably try to poison her fragile mind against me while they go off and look for the dragonball together!_ "Goddamn it!"

"W-what should we do?" Ana asked nervously, her hands twisting in worry as she tried to inch away from the pissed Jiro.

_I should blast through this crap,_ Jiro thought venomously. _I should blast through here and try to find those two. I should…I should…_ "We're getting you out of here," he said finally. "I promised the Manager that we'd get you out alive. I don't like him, but—" Jiro smirked "—I'm a man of my word. The same goes for Tom-Tom."

Ana stared at Jiro in surprise. Then, a small smile came across her dark face. "Thank you," she said.

Jiro snorted. "Whatever." He helped Ana to her feet, and allowed her to lean on him as they hobbled towards the exit. Although he gave Ana a cocky smile, frustration was building from within.

_As soon as this is over, I'm going back for the dragonball. Freak, you better take good care of Sachiko._

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

Sachiko's flashlight had died out several minutes after they left the stone rubble. Kargo's flashlight was operational, but the explosion had altered the power source of the device, so there was only fifty percent of life left.

This did not put Sachiko at ease.

Kargo lowered his hood, and tossed an uneasy glance at Sachiko. She wasn't as cheerful as she was when they first went into the cave. She had a very vulnerable expression on her face, and the hand that held the flashlight was trembling slightly. She was afraid. He hadn't seen her like this since…since the village massacres.

He had a suspicion that her fears were on the darkness, the bugs, and on Jiro and Ana.

_Great. Just another reason for me to hate that bastard. _

"Look, Sachiko!" he said, trying to put her mind at peace. "There are rubies in here! Look at how shiny they are! They're better than the sapphires, don't you think?"

Sachiko's lips curved into a small smile, but she said nothing. Kargo sighed, and took her hand. "Look," he said quietly. "Rich boy and Ana are closer to Entrance Two. They'll find a way out. Stop worrying yourself. And don't be afraid of the bugs," he added. "I'll stomp on them if I see any, okay?"

The small girl's bottom lip wobbled slightly, before she turned to him with a smile. "O-okay," she whispered.

"Good." Kargo pulled out the map from under his hoodie, and squinted at it. "Hmm…"

"What it is?"

"We're close to Entrance Four, the ruby area," Kargo answered. "But the Manager said that the only way out is through Entrance Two. Since we can't go back the way we came, we have to go—" he suddenly turned to the right "—here."

He looked up as Sachiko pointed the flashlight towards a tunnel. "Where does this go?" Sachiko asked uneasily.

"Towards Entrance One. We can go through there, and head back towards Entrance Two." Kargo blinked for a moment. The area seemed to be brighter than before. He turned to Sachiko, and his eyes nearly popped out of his head when he noticed that one of her pockets were glowing.

Sachiko, on the other hand, didn't seem to notice the sudden increase in brightness inside her shorts. "Good," she said. "I'm glad. Now we can look for Tom-Tom-san, and get out of here. Kargo! What're you doing? Get your hand out of my pants!"

"Ow!"

The small girl slapped Kargo's hand away as he pulled out the glowing dragonball. Ignoring the girl's scrutinizing (and somewhat traumatized) stare, he pulled back his sleeve and turned on the Dragon Radar Vidwatch, his eyes widening when he saw two red dots blink astonishingly close to one another. "Oh my gods…"

"What?" Sachiko asked in a deadpan voice, still angry about her violation of pants-touching. "What's going on?"

"Sachiko," Kargo said, as one of the dots came closer and closer to the other, "I think the dragonball is coming towards us!"

Sachiko stared at the screen in shock, before she turned her head towards the tunnel. "Kargo, do you feel that?"

"Feel what?"

"That…that energy! It feels kinda strong for someone around here!"

Kargo frowned, but turned his head towards the tunnel anyway. He searched around for a moment, before his jaw dropped. "Yeah…I feel it too…"

"What'dya think it is?" Sachiko asked, but stopped when a blinding light was shone in her face. "Hey! Stop that! Cut it out!"

"What the…" the owner of the flashlight stepped out of the dark tunnel, followed by a fat man in miner's clothing. Sachiko was preoccupied with getting the light out of her face, but Kargo managed to catch the young man's brown hair and dark eyes, along with the black trench coat that hung around his shoulders. But most of all, he caught sight of the glowing orb in the man's hand.

An orange orb, with a single red star inside.

"The dragonball!" Kargo cried.

"Tom-Tom-san!" Sachiko exclaimed, her eyes finally adjusting to the light enough to see the terrified miner. "You're alive!"

Tom-Tom just gave the two youths a blank stare. "Who are you?" he asked dumbly.

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

_No. It can't be._

Ryoushi couldn't believe his eyes. It couldn't be these two kids. It _couldn't _be! Miyuki wouldn't be crazy enough to want to kill two _children_!

But the boy, the one with the hoodie…he was unmistakably green. And the girl…she had dark blue hair, and big, round, golden eyes. No one he knew had golden eyes. No one!

"You've got to be fucking kidding me!" he cried out loud. "These are just babies!"

The green boy gave him a look of annoyance. "HEY! We are _not_ babies! I'll have you know that I'm turning thirteen in a few months!"

"Cool!" the small girl exclaimed. "Then you'll only be a year younger than Jiro!"

_Jiro? Oh shit, these _**_are_**_ the two brats…_

"Are you the two nutmegs that kidnapped Jiro and Hideaki Kutai?" he asked flatly. He saw the green boy and small girl exchange confused glances.

"We didn't kidnap anybody," the small girl said. "They came with us because they wanted to."

"Wait a minute." The green boy stared at him for a moment, before his eyes widened. "You're that bounty hunter! Ryoushi Ganjou!"

At this, Ryoushi couldn't help but smile. "So you've heard of me," he said quietly. "Well, I don't like hurting children, so I'll make a deal with you, Greenbean."

"HEY!"

"I'll let you kids go," Ryoushi continued, ignoring the green boy's furious glare, "if you tell me where Jiro and Hideaki Kutai are. Then, I want you two to promise that you'll never go near the Kutai brats again. Do we have a deal?"

"How come we can't see Jiro and Hideaki-chan?" the small girl asked innocently. "They're our friends." Ryoushi almost had an emotional slip at seeing her saddened face, but he brushed it off, and instead allowed frustration to take hold of him.

"Look," Ryoushi said angrily, "I'm just doing my job. Tell me where they are _now_, before I hurt you kids so bad that you won't be able to!"

"That doesn't make sense," the small girl said. She glanced at his hand, which was still holding the orb…which was now glowing.

_What the…_

"Hey! Kargo-kun, he has the dragonball!" the small girl cried, tugging on the green boy's arm. It was then Ryoushi saw that the boy was also holding an orb, except that the orb had four stars on it, not one.

"Dragonball?" Ryoushi repeated. "Is that what this thing is?"

"We're not saying anything!" the green boy yelled. "Just give it to us! You don't know what that thing can do!"

"Hmm." Ryoushi smirked, and tossed the ball into the air, earning two startled gasps from the youths as he caught the orb just before it hit the ground. "This seems to be very important to you two. Well, how about a trade? This dragonball, for the Kutais."

"You want us to trade our friends?" the small girl cried in horror. "How _could_ you?"

"Now, now, Sachiko," the green boy said, his voice oddly calm. "We don't really know the Kutais that well…and I hate Jiro anyway."

"KARGO!"

"Alright, alright! I was just kidding…mostly." The green one pouted for a moment, before he gave Ryoushi a determined look. "No way, hunter. We're not saying anything."

Ryoushi scoffed, before he tucked the dragonball into his coat pocket. "Then you leave me no choice," he said, as he cracked his knuckles. He turned to Tom-Tom, and said, "You may want to stand back a bit."

"Err…right." The fat man scurried into a corner.

Then, without warning, Ryoushi sped towards the green boy, and delivered a clean uppercut to his jaw.

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

"What the hell happened here?"

Jiro stared at the new opening of Entrance Two, as he dragged the fatigued Ana out of the cave. "The hole was midget-sized when I first came in…"

"Maybe that explosion was the others trying to make the hole bigger," Ana suggested. "It's a good thing...except for that poor girl and boy getting trapped in the tunnel…" She paused for a moment. "I wonder how my hubby's doing? You know, everyone calls him a bum, but he's really nice, and he looks a lot like you…"

"Whatever," Jiro said blandly. "But you know, I don't think the miners made the hole bigger."

"Why?"

"Because they're all unconscious."

Ana blinked, before she looked around. "Oh…" Sure enough, immobile bodies littered the entire worksite, save a little gray squirrel that stared at Jiro for a moment, before scurrying into the bushes.

"Oh my…"

"JIRO!"

The human teen whirled around, and saw a furious Hideaki marching towards him. He gulped nervously. _How the fuck did she get out?_

"HOW DARE YOU LOCK ME IN A PORT-A-POTTY!" she shrieked, smacking him over the head. "I SHOULD KICK YOU SQUARE IN THE NUTS! I SHOULD FORCE FEED YOU DOG CRAP FOR THIS!"

"Sis, calm down…what are you wearing?"

"I AM CALM! AND I LIKE THIS OUTFIT, TO A CERTAIN EXTENT, SO SHUT UP!"

Throughout the argument, no one noticed Piccolo sneaking quietly towards Entrance Four.

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

Kargo stumbled backwards, his mind reeling from Ryoushi's blow. Before he could regain his composure, he felt another punch, this time to his gut, followed by another uppercut that sent him crashing to the ground.

"Stop it!" Sachiko screamed, and threw a white ki blast straight at Ryoushi's chest. The blast exploded on impact, and Ryoushi cried out as the heat seared away at his shirt and skin. Growling, he turned to the girl, who was running towards him, and grabbed her leg as she leapt up and tried to knee him in the face.

"Learn your place!" Ryoushi roared as he swung the girl's body against the rocks. She hit the cavern wall with a sickening thud, and slid to the floor in a slump.

Ryoushi grinned, until he felt a sharp kick to the side of his head. He caught himself before he fell, but the green boy grabbed his arm, and yanked him closer until the boy's free hand was touching his stomach. The boy grinned, and Ryoushi gasped when he saw—and felt—a large ball of yellow energy burn into his gut.

Who were these children?

With his free arm, Ryoushi punched viciously at the green boy's head. Caught unaware, the boy let go, and Ryoushi jumped back, clutching at his stomach. He quickly formed his own ball of orange-red energy, but suddenly, he felt his legs being swept from under him. He fell on his back, and barely managed to move his head to the side as the girl jumped on top on him and punched a glowing fist into the earth, where his head was a few seconds ago. Ryoushi felt his eyes widen as he saw the crater her fist left behind.

With a bellow, he threw the girl off him, and onto the green boy. His hands glowing menacingly, he began to throw ki ball after ki ball at the two children.

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

"Kargo!"

Piccolo stared at the stone rubble in horror. He could feel his son on the other side of the wall—Sachiko too! But damn it, he couldn't get to the other side!

With a roar, he aimed a yellow energy blast at the wall.

"Masenko!"

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

_My gods…what have I done?_

Ryoushi leaned against the wall of the cavern, his body trembling slightly as he stepped away from the dust cloud that obscured the two children from view.

He had lost control. In all his life, he had never, ever lost control like that, not since he was a child…he had just killed two kids…

"W-what are you people?" Tom-Tom cried out in horror from his corner in the wall. "How the hell are you all doing that?"

Ryoushi didn't answer. He couldn't answer. He turned his eyes away as the dust cleared…

…and revealed the two children, the boy crouching behind the girl as she sat on her knees, three white balls of energy circling her body in an ecliptic fashion. Both were completely unharmed.

In the girl's hands was the One Star dragonball.

"Wha—" Ryoushi searched his coat pocket, and found nothing. He glared at the girl, who slowly stood on her feet as the three white balls of energy disappeared. "You little thief!" he screamed. "Give that back!"

The small girl shook her head. "No," she said. "The villages need this."

Ryoushi growled, and took a step towards her. "Why you little—"

BOOM!

Ryoushi flew off his feet, as the girl quickly put up her three white balls around herself and the green boy again. Chunks of rock and rubies flew everywhere, and the dust swirled up again, blocking Ryoushi's view as light suddenly flooded into the cavern. Fresh air hit his nostrils, and for a moment, all he could do was breathe in the fresh air.

At the new entrance, he saw a outline of a tall man, an outline similar to the green boy's. He watched the body movements of the man—they seemed…hesitant. Nervous. Completely unsure. The man took a step inside the cave, before he backed up, and…flew away?

Okay. Maybe he was just going insane.

Then, he saw the outline of the two kids and the fat man running outside.

_Hey!_

He tried to move, but he found that his leg was pinned under a large pile of rocks.

_GODDAMN IT!_

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

When Jiro stared in the direction of Entrance Four, Hideaki panicked and grabbed his face, pulling it towards her own.

"I wasn't done!" she screamed half-hysterically. "Anyway! I'm going to tell father about this, mark my words! He will not appreciate you locking me in the SHIT-HOLE! I swear—"

"Guys!" Sachiko yelled, as she and Kargo dragged the frightened Tom-Tom outside. "Guys! Start the hovercraft-thingie! We have to get outta here!"

"Wait! Didn't you see Picc—Picc…"

"See what?" Kargo asked, frustrated.

"Nothing! Let's just go!"

Sachiko and Kargo dumped Tom-Tom next to Ana, and ran for all they were worth back towards the hovercraft. Seconds later, Ryoushi limped out of the cave, cursing angrily.

"You kids! Get back here! Get back—oof!"

Ryoushi fell to the ground, knocked out. Piccolo floated down behind him, smirking as he stepped over the unconscious man. "That'll teach you for messing with my boy," he said. He turned to Ana and Tom-Tom, who were huddled together in pure fright. He pressed a finger to his lips, and they both nodded as he gave them a one fanged smirk.

He walked away, chuckling to himself.

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

A young man whistled as he headed off for home. He ran a hand through his dark hair, and wiped some of the dust out of his blue eyes.

"What a day," he mumbled. He stopped as he reached a fork in the road, and thought for a moment. "Hmm. Take the normal way through town, or take shortcut through secluded forest path? Ah, what the hey? Secluded forest path it is!"

He hadn't walked for more than ten minutes when he saw something scurry along on the dirt road. He blinked. It appeared to be a gray squirrel…which was covered in something red…

"What a cute, little, innocent-looking forest creature!" the man exclaimed. "What're you doing out here little guy?"

The squirrel just stared at him, its beady eyes watching his every movement. Then, before the man could blink—

"EEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH! GET IT OFF ME! GET IT OFF ME!"

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

**Sachiko: Two down, five more to go! Hey, that's the sacred shrine of Susanoo! We have to check it out! Wha…what'dya mean, my great-great grandfather dishonored the head priestess here a hundred-years ago? You have no proof! WHAT? I have to battle? But…but…**


	20. The Stupid Girls File Their Complaint

Disclaimer: If I owned the DB series, I'd be one happy gal. Unfortunately I don't, so I'm constantly plagued by depression.

A/N: I'm on my twentieth chapter! OH YEAH, BABY!

I can't believe the Bloodthirsty Squirrelly-Squirrel is getting this much attention. I knew violence-craved, selective-killing animals would be a good idea! (Thanks rimera…I knew _someone_ would eventually figure out the BSS's killing pattern…)

Thanks for the reviews, everyone!

**_Chapter Twenty: The Stupid Girls File Their Complaint_**

_Concentrate, Ayu._

Wiping her drenched brown hair from her face, the tall twelve-year-old girl notched the arrow into her bow and aimed at the target: a red bull's eye, about fifty yards away. Ignoring the wet white and red miko robes sticking to her body, she squinted, trying to see through the thick sheet of rain. She drew the bow back, and concentrated.

_Focus. Concentrate. Visualize the target._

She took a deep breath, and was about to release…almost…almost…NOW!

"AAAAGGGGGGGGGGH!"

Ayu gasped, and her fingers slipped on the arrow. The arrow flew high, missing the target and sailing off ten feet further than it should have. The girl growled, and whirled around to where the distraction came from. Through the rain, her eyes fell upon three teenaged girls, all with bright red hair, all wearing bright red raincoats, all holding bright red umbrellas.

Ayu blinked. Too much red…

"_Rosa_," one of the red girls whined. "We've been walking for, like, forever! I'm tired!"

"Like, shut up Daisy!" another girl snapped, probably the one called Rosa. "We're totally not going back until I find my Jiji-kun! Mrs. Kutai is, like, searching the North and East! We should, like, at least search the South! That way, they totally _can't_ get away!"

"I say we should, like, just let him go," the third girl said. "He's, like, obviously all over this miko chick if he totally ran away just to be with her."

"_Shut it,_ _Lily_!" Rosa shrieked. "I, like, won't believe it! Jiji and I were, like, totally destined to be together since we were born! I won't let him go, just because some, like, whore came along and wiggled her little hips for him!"

"Can we, like, at least get out of the rain?" Daisy pleaded. "I'm, like, totally gonna catch a cold!"

"Excuse me?" Ayu said suddenly. The three red girls stopped, and turned to her, their red-rimmed eyes staring at her suspiciously.

"Like, what do _you_ want?" Rosa said haughtily. Ayu's eye twitched slightly at Rosa's disrespect.

_Must not be from around here_, she thought. _Darn it, if only mikos didn't have to take an oath swearing to help all in need… _She took a deep breath, and said, "I couldn't help but notice that you're not from around here. I'm Ayu, a miko of the shrine of Susanoo. Are you three from the cities?"

Rosa sniffed. "Maybe."

"If you want," Ayu said, "I could take you to the village. You guys can rest up until the storm passes, and have something to eat."

"We totally don't want help from a _miko_," Rosa said angrily. "We're, like, fine just by ourselves, right girls? HEY!" Rosa stared open-mouthed at Daisy and Lily as they ran towards Ayu. "Oh come on!"

"Like, 'come on' yourself, Rosa," Lily complained. "We're tired, and I'm hungry!"

"Yeah!" Daisy agreed, shivering slightly as the rain increased.

Rosa was about to protest when she heard a low rumble in the distance. She froze for a moment, before she growled, and crossed her arms. "Oh, fine. Like, we'll stay for a while. But, like, no funny stuff _miko_."

Ayu forced her lips into a smile. "You have my word."

_What have I done, Lord Susanoo?_

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

They had been aware of it for quite some time, as the cloudy white skies slowly turned into a dark gray. They _had_ to be aware of it, for in the days and nights past, they had flown almost nonstop, in fear of Ryoushi Ganjou catching up to them and chasing them on ground. For the most part, the group tried to ignore the darkening skies, as if pretending the problem wasn't there would make said problem go away.

But when the distant booming of thunder was heard, they knew they couldn't play pretend any longer.

They were near the Shimane Prefecture, several miles away from South City. Choosing the most isolated area she could find, Hideaki had managed to land the hovercraft in a clearing, just as the first few drops of rain fell from the sky. Because it would have been suicide to try to fly through a thunderstorm, Hideaki had planned to stay in the clearing until the rain stopped, before flying again.

But that had been two days ago. And it was _still_ raining.

Hideaki pulled at her white slacks and pink shirt, which were wrinkled beyond belief. The green halter top and the black jeans were tossed into a bag, and thrown into a corner. She had changed clothes immediately after Sachiko questioned her as to why she was dressed like Taka, her mother.

_Taka. Muzai Taka. Oh, this is rich…_

Sachiko's mother, Taka, and the woman Mr. Piccolo kept babbling about, were one and the same. Hideaki couldn't suppress a bitter smile as she smoothed out a fold in her shirt. _Piccolo and Kargo…like father, like son!_

As if on cue, lightning streaked through the sky, as if approving her thoughts.

_This is getting ridiculous,_ Hideaki thought as she stared at the muddy scene outside. _It was more or less clear weather when I flew two days ago._ _Now it storms for several hours straight, stops for two minutes, then starts raining again. What the hell is wrong with the weather? I've never seen anything like this…the Climate Control system here is terrible. I hope Mr. Piccolo isn't getting too wet._

She sighed, and turned her gaze towards her Dragon Radar Vidwatch. It had been a while since she had contacted her partners. They were probably all worried sick about her…or maybe they were all lounging around, doing jack squat as they threw sharp darts at her picture. She frowned. Maybe she should call Katsu…

A loud voice from outside the cockpit pulled her from her thoughts.

"Hey freak, you alright? You look kind of sick…well, sicker than usual for _me_, anyway."

There was a pause, as a low rumble echoed throughout the skies. Then, Hideaki heard a low growl, followed by a tense, "Shut the fuck up."

An angry snort. "Well, excuse me for being somewhat concerned! If you _are_ sick and end up passing out within the next twenty-four hours, don't expect me to drag your green ass to the hospital!"

"Just shut up!"

A loud crack of thunder cut through the argument. Silence fell for a minute. Then—

"Jiro, leave Kargo-kun alone."

"What? I just asked him if there was anything wrong! Geez, I didn't even insult him, and he tells me to shut up…"

"Actually, you did kind of insult him, Jiro. You called him a freak again."

Silence. Then, "And your point is?"

More silence. Then, "Sachi-chan, lay off it, okay? I don't want to talk right now."

"But Kargo-kun…"

"Lay off!"

An earsplitting _crack_ shot through their eardrums, and Hideaki winced as Sachiko let out a shriek. She stared out the window again, and bit her lip. If her guess was right, and Piccolo really was following them to keep an eye on them, then he was gonna catch pneumonia unless he found some sort of shelter from the storm.

She hadn't told Kargo, and decided not to. Whatever problems there were between him and Piccolo, they were strictly between him and Piccolo. Period.

"Ahem." She heard Jiro clear his throat. "Sachiko…you can let go now. I'd like my ribs to stay intact, if you don't mind."

"Oh. Sorry…"

_That does it. _Making sure that the door to the cockpit was closed; Hideaki turned on the Vidwatch and pressed a code into the device. She waited for a moment, before a small screen appeared, with the face of a young, but tired looking man with dark hair appearing on the screen. He stared at her lifelessly, and said in a flat tone, "You've reached the office of Kutai Hideaki, Head Researcher of Capsule Corporation. I'm First Secretary Katsu Noh, and I'm sorry to say that Miss Kutai is out of the office, and will not return for an indefinite period of time. If you'd like to leave a message—"

"Katsu!" Hideaki interrupted. "Katsu, you idiot, it's me!"

The man stopped his monotone speech, and stared closely at her. Then, his violet eyes widened, and his jaw dropped. "M-miss Kutai?"

"Well done, Sherlock," Hideaki said sarcastically. "And it only took you about…one hundred and twenty seconds, too. You get the door prize."

Katsu flushed. "I'm sorry, Miss, but it's been more than a bit hectic around here lately. W-where are you?"

"I'm at the Shimane Prefecture, but—" Hideaki flinched as lightning flashed through the sky "—we're stuck here until the storm passes. Can you get in contact with the managers of the Climate Control system here, and tell them to lay off the rain?"

The young man paled. "The Shimane Prefecture? I-I can't do that Miss. The Climate Control system there's been inactive for several months now, because the residing feudal villages have been complaining about the wrongs of manipulating the work of the gods, and—"

Hideaki cut him off with a groan. "So we have to wait for _nature_ to figure it out?"

"Yes ma'am."

"Son-of-a—"

Katsu coughed loudly, stopping Hideaki before she could finish. "Miss, if I may…your mother's been stopping by more often, and she's been asking everyone if we have any information on you. I'm a bit frazzled…I don't know who to trust!" The young man's voice slowly rose with every word. "I mean, other than the janitor and Dr. Rei, no one else knows about the Dragon Radar Vidwatch. I don't know why you only wanted the three—well, four—of us to know about the project, _and you still haven't told me what that thing's for!_"

"Shh!" Hideaki threw a nervous glance at the door, before she turned back to the nervous looking man. "Listen baby," she said in a soothing voice. "If you really want to know who to trust, you should stick close to my dad."

"President Kutai? What for?"

"He pretty much knows what's going on, and he'd keep you safe from the wrath of my mother, should anything happen."

Katsu frowned. "Well…"

Hideaki heard footsteps approach the cockpit, and she panicked. "Katsu, I have to go! Love you!" She shut off the Vidwatch just as the door opened, and stared hard at the window, trying to calm down.

_It's okay,_ she thought as her fingers tapped the control panel nervously. _I'm just overreacting…I didn't do anything wrong…I'm entitled to speak to a friend-slash-boyfriend once in a while, right? Right?_

"Do you think we can start flying soon?"

Hideaki jumped and turned to Sachiko, who stood behind her, looking at her with big, hopeful eyes. Forcing her heart to resume its normal beat, she shook her head, and the small girl's face immediately saddened, her lips forming a pout.

"Oh fudgecakes," she said sullenly. Sachiko plopped into the co-pilot's seat and rested her head against the window of the hovercraft. Yawning, her eyes repetitively followed the drops of rain as it hit the glass and slid down.

"Um…so, Sachiko…what was going on back there?" Hideaki asked, still trying to calm down. Sachiko lifted her head for a moment, before she set it back against the glass.

"Kargo's just a bit antsy," Sachiko said quietly. "When the storm passes, he'll be alright again."

Hideaki studied the small girl's face, and frowned. "Are you sure? I mean, I haven't known the green one very long, but the way _I _see it, when _you_ usually try to comfort him, he gets all glad and happy and…he usually shoves it into my brother's face…but he just totally brushed you off back there." Hideaki threw a quick glance at Sachiko to see if the impact of the statement had hit home, but it hadn't.

_Figures._

"When the storm passes, he'll be alright again," Sachiko repeated, as if she was a recording machine.

Hideaki sighed. "Oh, fine…"

Silence passed between the two girls, as the storm finally showed a slight sign of lessening. Hideaki drummed her fingers against the controls of the hovercraft, before she turned to Sachiko. "Say, Sachiko-chan?"

"Hmm?"

"Are there any villages around here?"

"I dunno. Where exactly are we?"

"The Shimane Prefecture."

Sachiko's head rose from the glass, and the girl stared at Hideaki with wide eyes. "Shimane?" she cried. "That means—that means we're near Izumo! We're near feudal villages! We're near the sacred shrine of Susanoo!"

Hideaki blinked. "O…kay?"

Sachiko frowned. "Don't you know about Susanoo? The warrior god of the seas? The fighter god of storms? The brother, rival, and unwilling lover of _my_ patroness goddess, Amaterasu?"

"No Sachiko-chan, I don't know anything about—wait a minute. Did you say brother, rival, and _lover_?"

Sachiko nodded. "There are rumors that they were brief lovers…they argue a lot, but for some reason they always go back together…I don't know if it's true though."

Hideaki paled. "Sachiko!" she cried. "That's incest! That's morally wrong! That's biologically unstable! Their children will be mutant freaks, who'll have to scrounge for food in the dark of night!"

"They will not! Um…what's incest?"

"..." The older girl gave Sachiko a look of utter disbelief.

"Hideaki-chan?"

"…never mind," Hideaki mumbled as she buried her face in her hands.

"Okay. So can we go there? Grandpa never wanted to go there, and he never told me why…so can we?"

Peeking over her fingers, Hideaki gave Sachiko a questioning look. "Why?" she mumbled through her fingers. "I checked the radar. The nearest dragonball isn't anywhere around here."

"Just for a little while!" Sachiko pleaded. "I haven't been able to pray properly for such a long time! The gods listen to prayers much better if the priests and priestesses are on holy ground! _Please_?" Sachiko gave Hideaki her cutest pout. "Pretty, pretty, pretty _please_?"

_For the love of…don't look at her, _Hideaki's mind hissed._ Don't look at those puppy dog eyes and wobbling lower lip! Don't do it! You don't have time for this! Don't do it! Don't…oh crap._ "Fine," Hideaki found herself saying. "But no more than a few hours."

"YAY!"

_You soft pile of pudding. You're just like Father._

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

The lamp burned brightly inside the hut, illuminating the straw pallets and several worn scrolls that were hung on the walls. Shadows danced as the light flickered for a moment, while a figure moved from one end of the hut to another, carrying a teapot.

As she placed the tray on her lap, with her legs tucked under her, Ayu poured the ginseng tea into the cups. Yuka, her mother and head priestess, sat down next to her as she swept her white robes under her legs.

"So what brings you girls out here?" Yuka asked as the girls shivered in their skimpy red outfits. "Normally we don't get visitors from the cities…unless they're after our land." Yuka gave the girls a hard stare as she said this, and they all gulped nervously.

"Like, we're not after your land!" Lily cried, wringing her hands nervously.

"Yeah!" Daisy agreed. "We're just looking for Rosa's fiancé! He, like, totally disappeared on us a while ago, and we just wanna get him back! Oh. Like, thanks." Daisy took the cup of tea that Ayu handed to her.

"Why'd he leave in the first place?" Ayu asked curiously, as she gave Lily a cup. She turned to Rosa with a cheeky grin. "Did you two have a lover's spat?"

Rosa snorted, and turned her nose up at the tea. "You could say that," the redhead said haughtily. She then snarled, and clenched her red-nailed fists. "It's, like, totally that miko's fault!" she yelled. "If _she_ hadn't come along, my poor Jiji wouldn't be running around, mingling with commoners! She _stole_ him from me!"

At this, both Ayu and Yuka exchanged startled looks, before turning back to the hysteric Rosa. "What do you mean, the miko stole him from you?" Yuka asked slowly. "It is forbidden for a miko to engage in a serious relationship with another before marriage. To do so is dishonor of the highest degree!"

Noticing the darkened looks in the priestesses' faces, both Lily and Daisy backed away slightly. They might not have been the sharpest crayons in the coloring box, but they knew that they had touched a nerve somewhere in these women. Rosa saw it too, and a smirk began to make its way through her face.

"Well," Rosa said slyly, "I should tell you that this miko is drooling all over my precious Jiji. In fact, I think she might even have another boy hanging all over her! Two men! That's like, totally selfish!"

Yuka let out a shriek of terror, and covered her face. Ayu stood up so quickly that she knocked the (thankfully empty) tea tray off of her lap. "Who is this_ miko_?" she snarled, her hands contorting to tight, white fists. "Who is this_ wench _that dares soil the good names of the gods?"

"I'll, like, totally tell you," Rosa said. "Her name, is Muzai Sachiko, and she's the miko of the shrines near West City."

"West City?" Yuka thought for a moment, before her eyes widened. "The Amaterasu forest shrine! It can't be!"

Ayu paled, and turned her head towards the scrolls. "Gohan the Third," she whispered. Then, she growled, and punched her fist into her hand. "So…it's come to this…"

"Excuse me?" a young girl's voice chirped. "May I speak to the head priestess here, please?"

Ayu turned to the doorway of the hut, and her eyes fell on two figures: a tall dark-haired, blue-eyed boy, about fourteen, and a young girl around her own age. Ayu's eyes locked onto the girl's eyes, and her jaw dropped slightly.

_They're…they're…gold…_

"Hi!" the girl greeted, a big, goofy grin spreading throughout her face. "Are you the miko here? Pleased to meet'cha!"

Ayu could only wave dully at the girl's energetic greeting. "Uh…hi?"

The boy sighed, and gave her a bored look. "Kid, is there a shrine thing around here?" he asked in a flat tone. "My miko friend here needs to pray, and—HOLY SHIT!" The boy's eyes nearly popped out of his head when the girl, Rosa, ran right up to his face. "WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON?"

"THAT'S WHAT I'D LIKE TO KNOW!" Rosa screamed. "LIKE, WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING HERE? WITH _HER_!" She pointed a fake, red nail at the small girl, who was cocking her head curiously.

"Have…we met before?" the girl asked, her lips pursing slightly.

"GAH!" Both the boy and Rosa fell to the ground, as everyone else in the room sweatdropped.

"Sachiko!" the boy yelled as he picked himself off the floor. "Don't you remember? This is the one you threw straight through the floor when we found the Four-Star ball!"

"Sachiko?" Ayu and Yuka exchanged looks as the small girl, Sachiko, scratched her chin.

"Hmm…oh yeah! Oh…" Sachiko laughed nervously, as she turned to Rosa. "Sorry about that. Are you okay? No broken bones, right?"

"SHUT UP!" Rosa shrieked.

"Yeah!" Lily and Daisy said in unison. The boy turned to them, and paled.

"Oh _gods_…those two idiots are here too?"

"This is the girl!" Rosa yelled suddenly, turning to Ayu. "This is her! Muzai Sachiko, the little whore!"

The girl blinked for a moment, before she turned to the boy. "Jiro…what's a whore?"

"…Oh Sachiko…" The boy, Jiro, placed a hand on her head, and shook his head. "Sometimes I worry if you even have a brain in there…"

Yuka immediately hardened, and Ayu's fists clenched once more, her teeth bared in a snarl. Ayu took a step forward, only to be stopped by her mother, who shook her head. _Not yet_, her eyes said. Ayu bit the inside of her cheek in frustration, and stomped on the ground.

_That little flirt,_ Ayu thought viciously. _Her ancestors nearly destroyed my family, and here she is, doing exactly what my great-great grandmother was shunned for. _

"Muzai!" Ayu shouted loudly. The girl looked up, and smiled.

"Cool!" the girl exclaimed. "You know my name!"

"Silence!" Ayu shouted. "Miko Muzai, of the Amaterasu forest shrine! For the dishonor cast upon Akiko, my beloved great-great grandmother, by Gohan the Third, your great-great grandfather, I challenge you!"

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

**Uh…TURMOIL here. Decided that I'd give the characters a break today. But yeah, short chapter…I wrote more, but it just didn't fit with the mood of this chapter. Sorry for the filler, but I had to set the mood up…you guys understand, right?**

**Ahem! But anyway, I have to tell you guys that there's gonna be at least a two week wait. I have tons of crap to deal with (college, taking care of baby brother, etc.) so…Sachiko, Kargo, and Jiro won't appear for a while. But for those who want a sneak peek, well…Archery, medicine, and fighting. That's all you guys get from me. **

**Later!**


	21. An Ancestor's Disgrace

Disclaimer: Why would I be writing fanfiction if I owned the DB series?

A/N: The character rankings are NOT closed, because the chapter that requires character popularity isn't here yet. But, for the time being, let me entertain you all with the current standings.

1st: Sachiko

2nd: Jiro

3rd: Kargo

This could still change…so cast your vote now!

Thanks to all reviewers!

_**Chapter Twenty-One: An Ancestor's Disgrace**_

"Challenge me to what?" Sachiko asked, cocking her head. She smiled, completely oblivious to the older miko's growing anger. "Are we gonna play a game now?"

"A GAME!" Ayu stared at the small girl in furious disbelief. "What in the name of Lord Sussano are you talking about, Muzai? Do you have _rocks_ in your head, or something?"

"That's debatable," Jiro muttered quietly from the corner. He yelped when Rosa, Lily, and Daisy all simultaneously smacked him as a motion to be quiet.

Yuka said nothing, and only stared carefully at the small girl.

"I'm talking about a challenge of honor!" Ayu shouted. "I'm talking about a challenge that will right the wrongs done to my family! Wrongs that were committed by _your_ disgusting ancestor!" Ayu pointed a finger straight at Sachiko's face, and gave the small girl a heated, hateful glare. She ignored the girl's confused look, and said in a low voice, "Now…answer me Muzai. Do you, or do you not accept my challenge?"

Sachiko didn't answer. She only blinked, and took an uncertain step back. "I…I don't know," she said, the cheerfulness gone from her voice now. "I don't know why you're so upset. What did _my_ ancestor do to _your_ ancestor? And what does this have to do with me?"

"This has everything to do with you, child." The dark haired Yuka finally stood up, and straightened her white robes before going over to Sachiko and Ayu. The head priestess gave Sachiko a reproachful stare, before she turned her attention towards her daughter. "Ayu…take these teenagers directly to Gogyou village. Stay with your father until I arrive."

Ayu stared at her mother in surprise. "But…but Okaasan…the challenge!"

"_Now_. The challenge can wait, for it is clear to me that this child does not even know the nature of the crime committed. Do as I say, Ayu."

"But Okaasan!"

"NOW!"

The twelve-year-old made a rude noise, before she snatched Lily by the back of her skimpy red tank top and dragged her out of the hut. Daisy and Rosa soon followed, as they dragged a protesting Jiro with them. Sachiko made a move towards the boy, but Yuka grabbed the girl's arm.

"He'll be okay," the woman said in a quiet voice. "And at any rate, he should be the least of your concerns. Now, sit, and hear what I have to say, _miko_ Muzai."

The way Yuka addressed her was enough to still Sachiko. Gulping nervously, she tucked her legs underneath her and sat with her head lowered slightly, to show respect. The head priestess sat as well, sweeping her robes underneath her as she continued to stare at the small girl.

For a moment, neither of them spoke—the younger was too nervous and confused to make a comment, and the elder was too busy trying to read the younger's countenance. Finally, when the elder had had enough, she pointed towards the old scrolls that hung pitifully on the walls.

"Do you see those writings?" Yuka asked, as Sachiko curiously lifted her head. "Those are parts of a life-long journal, written by the miko Akiko, my great-grandmother. She was a beautiful, respected young woman, who had a very good chance of becoming a head priestess here about a hundred years ago."

"You're very pretty too, Yuka-sama," Sachiko piped up, attempting to lessen some of the animosity between her and the priestess. "You're almost as pretty as _my_ Okaasan! Oh…" Sachiko fell silent when Yuka gave her a hard stare.

"Don't interrupt me, child."

"Gomen." Sachiko bowed her head.

"Anyway. One day, a traveler came to the Shimane Prefecture. He was a handsome young man, whose expertise was in the martial arts. He wasn't exactly what one would call smart, but he was very good-natured. Or so he _appeared_ to be." Yuka's lips thinned at the last statement, and Sachiko suddenly felt the urge to run as thunder boomed through the sky. Somehow, she managed to resist the urge.

"His name was Gohan the Third. He came from East City, and was trying to reach West City, in order to climb some ridiculous tower in the area. But he took a wrong turn somewhere, and ended up south when he should have gone west. He was completely fatigued when he came here, and had lost all consciousness when my great-grandmother, Akiko, found him by the shrine. She took him to her home, and took care of him until he woke.

"But even after regaining consciousness, he was still too weak to continue traveling, so Akiko continued to care for him. Gohan the Third agreed to repay her kindness by doing small amounts of manual labor for the village. Days turned into weeks…and somewhere along the line, Akiko fell in love with him."

Sachiko giggled, but stopped before Yuka could give her another glare.

"After eight weeks of his stay, Akiko proclaimed her love for him. She was sixteen at the time, the proper age of marriage for a woman, and she was very headstrong. She convinced Gohan the Third to marry her, and the wedding was to be held in three days, in front of the entire village. Three days passed…and on the day of the wedding, he disappeared without a trace."

Sachiko blinked. "He left her standing at the alter?" she exclaimed. "How sad…"

Yuka glared at the small girl. "It gets worse," Yuka snapped. "A few months later, Akiko discovered that there was a Shinto wedding being held at the Amaterasu forest shrine…the bride and groom being your ancestors, Hana and Gohan the Third! Oh, don't worry," Yuka said, a cold smile spreading through her face as she noticed Sachiko's look of discontent. "My ancestor was still able to find a husband. But…"

"_But_?" Sachiko paled. There was more?

"The husband of my great-grandmother discovered a shocking secret. Akiko was not a virgin. You see, miko of Amaterasu, during the three days before his disappearance, Gohan the Third had…how shall I put this? _Seduced_ my ancestor, and had _deflowered_ her before marriage. Akiko only went with it because she thought he was going to marry her, but as you've just learned…_this didn't happen_."

Sachiko gulped, and lowered her head. She had absolutely no idea what the head priestess meant by being deflowered, but the way the older woman had said it gave her the impression that it wasn't a very good thing, especially for mikos. She made a mental note to ask Kargo what deflowering meant.

"Akiko was shamed!" Yuka shouted, startling the small girl. "The head priestess at the time stripped her of her miko status, and publicly announced her as an outcast! From that point on, the women of my family were dishonored to the highest degree…Akiko's daughter, my _grandmother_, wasn't even allowed to become a miko! My mother was never able to ascend beyond the miko status! And as for me…I was barely able to make the position of head priestess! The only reason I _have_ my position is because there has been a horrid lack of mikos in every village!"

_I know how that feels_, Sachiko thought privately. _I'm the only miko for my villages, too…every young person is in the cities…_

"It has taken my family a hundred years to come back from this…this disgusting _taint_," Yuka continued, her gaze now consumed with hatred. "And at last…we can finally redeem ourselves…"

The room suddenly quieted down, until only the sound of rain hitting earth could be heard. Sachiko cautiously lifted her head, and froze. Yuka's body was trembling with rage, and her eyes were shadowed. Sachiko swallowed nervously.

Years of training never prepared her for something like _this_. She had no idea what to do professionally, without bringing even more shame onto herself. So did the only thing that came to mind, and followed her gut feeling.

She bowed.

Pressing head forehead against the floor of the hut, she closed her eyes, and spoke in a very soft voice. "Head priestess, I am sorry for whatever pain you have suffered from my family. I don't know why my ancestor did what he did, and—" she paused "—I'm not entirely sure what had happened between my ancestor and yours, but please accept my apology on his behalf, and let there be no more hatred between our shrines and families."

Yuka stared at the child before her in surprise. Was this…an apology? From what the loud, redheaded girls had said about this child, she had almost been accepting a prudish remark, not this strange, seemingly heartfelt monologue.

This was some cheap trick. It had to be. After all, the girl did allegedly steal a boy from another against miko traditions, though there was yet to be any proof. The irony of the scenario was almost entertaining. She stood up, and looked down as the girl's head rose off the floor.

"You will accept my daughter's challenge," Yuka said coldly.

"E-excuse me?"

"You heard me, miko Muzai. My daughter has challenged you to a battle of honor, and if you really are as sorry as you claim you are, you will accept. There are three rounds to this challenge—archery, medicine, and fighting. The archery round will start the day after tomorrow. You, that miserable boy, and any other companions of yours can stay at one of the spare huts in any of the surrounding villages."

Sachiko stared at the head priestess in shock and surprise. "But—but—"

"Should you _not_ accept, then know that I will never leave the Amaterasu forest shrine at peace. I assure you that any hope of reconciliation between our families will die if you back out of the challenge. You want forgiveness? Then fight for it."

The older woman smirked at the small girl's stunned face, and walked out of the hut, into the rain. She stopped just outside the door, and turned back to the still unmoving child. "And by the way…feel free to pray to the gods at our shrine. But rest assured, they will not listen to the prayers of dishonorable fools."

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

Kargo stared at the window, flinching as a streak of lightning ripped through the sky. He placed the torn pillow back over his face, and bit his lip as another _boom_ echoed through the air.

"Where are they?" he heard Hideaki say loudly. "They should have been back by now…it's been over three hours!"

Kargo didn't answer, though his mind was uneasy. Where _were _they? Even at her longest, Sachiko's prayers never exceeded two hours. When Sachiko had announced that she was going to check out the nearby villages, his first instinct had been to go with her. But…

BOOM!

…his second, more primal instinct had vouched against such an action. Especially when the thunder was at its loudest. In torn agony, he had watched Sachiko run off with Jiro under the umbrella, the small girl clutching onto the older boy when another streak of lightning flashed.

He remembered cowering under the pillow after that.

It didn't help that Sachiko was so damn understanding about his little phobia, either. Goddamn it, he was supposed to be the stronger one! He hated it when she saw him like this! And in front of that pompous, arrogant asshole named Jiro!

Damn everything! Why did it have to storm so much?

"That's it! I can't take it anymore!"

Kargo removed the pillow in time to see Hideaki turn on the Vidwatch. "I don't care if they don't allow technology in the villages!" she yelled. "I'm getting worried!" She pressed several buttons hurriedly, and waited as a blank, gray screen popped up.

_Waiting…waiting…_

Hideaki growled, before she turned to him. "You're being awfully calm about this," she said. "I thought you'd at least be worried about Sachiko-chan."

The Namek froze, as a blush crept across his cheeks. "Of course I'm worried about her!" he said a little too loudly. "She went off with that asshole brother of yours! I'm not really having a picnic here, you know!"

"No, but I expected you to be ranting and raving about my brother about two hours ago. You're behind schedule, green one. And I really thought you would go with them. Is something wrong?"

_Damn it!_ "Mind your own business."

Hideaki huffed, but turned back to her Vidwatch. After several more minutes, the screen displayed another message.

_No connection. Please try again later._

The two stared at the screen for a moment, as if not sure what had just happened. Then…

"WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON HERE? WHAT IS THAT ASS-LICKING BASTARD DOING WITH MY SACHI-CHAN!"

"…well, at least you're back to normal…"

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

Jiro hurriedly shut off his Vidwatch the minute he felt it vibrate in his pants pocket. As interesting as it felt to have that thing shimmy and shake in his pants, this was not the time.

Especially when he only had three redheaded she-idiots for company.

"Like, once this storm stops, we'll totally head back for West City," Rosa said cheerfully, as she hugged his arm. Jiro resisted the urge to chew it off in a desperate attempt for freedom. "Like, everyone's been looking for you, Jiji-kun! It's been, like, a total upset when you ran away with that miko idiot!"

Jiro's eye twitched at the insult.

"But, like, she's so _little_," Lily commented as she sat on the mat near the door of the hut. "Like a little baby, almost. I didn't know you totally went for younger chicks."

"_Stupid_ younger chicks," Daisy cackled. "Remember? She was all like, 'Have we met?' What a dummy! She should be sent to, like, one of those hospitals for stupid people. Hahahaha!"

"Hahahaha!"

"Hahaha—"

"ENOUGH!" Jiro roared before he could stop himself. He yanked his arm out of Rosa's grip and glared at all three redheads furiously. "She is NOT an idiot! Okay, I admit she's not exactly smart, but she has more brains than you three put together! Now stop insulting her! Only one person has the right to do that, and that person is _me_! NOBODY ELSE!"

Daisy and Lily eeped and backed away from the enraged Jiro, but all Rosa did was stare at him in shock. "Jiji-kun!" she cried. "She's brainwashed you, hasn't she!"

"FOR THE LOVE OF THE GODS!" Jiro screamed. "I am NOT brainwashed! I like her as a goddamn fucking friend! Why won't ANYBODY believe me?"

"Like, if you only like her as a friend," Rosa snapped back, "then why is your face _red_?"

"BECAUSE I'VE BEEN SHOUTING!"

"STOP SHOUTING!" Ayu poked her soaking head into the hut and glared at the teens. "There are village elders trying to take a nap! Your screams are louder than the damned thunder and lightning! Now shut up or I will make you all sleep in the rain!"

As she tried to leave, Jiro rushed over to her and grabbed her arm. "Wait a minute," he asked. "Where's Sachiko?"

"Hmm?" Ayu frowned for a moment, before a look of disgust came over her face. "Oh. _That_. She's in the shrine, _praying_." Ayu jerked her head in the direction of the shrine. "Are you going to stay for the challenge, lover boy? Your miko girlfriend is fighting for whatever honor her disgusting family has left. The love of her life should be there to support her, no?"

Jiro flushed. "I am _not_ the love of her life!" he yelled. Then, he cleared his throat, and looked away from Ayu's searching stare. "However…I _am_ staying. She's my friend, and we have a journey to finish. Together. In a completely non-romantic fashion."

Ayu rolled her eyes, and walked away, mumbling something about whores. Jiro growled, and tried to go after Ayu, only to have something grab his shoulder.

"Jiji!" Rosa shrieked as she forced him to face her. "Like, what the hell are you doing? We totally have to go home!"

"I'm not going anywhere without Sachiko," Jiro snarled, and pushed Rosa's hand off. "Now stay out of my fucking business."

"If you totally don't stop shouting at me, then I'll, like, call Mrs. Kutai!" Rosa yelled pulling back the sleeves of her raincoat to reveal a red Vidwatch on her wrist. Jiro stopped, and stared at her in surprise. Rosa smirked.

"Like, HA! I totally didn't want things to be this way, Jiji-kun, but you, like, leave me no choice! If you, like, don't leave with me willingly, then I'll totally call Mrs. Kutai so that she can _haul_ your ass home!"

Jiro stared at the redhead in horror. Shit, she wasn't as stupid as he thought. He frowned, trying to think of a way out of this.

_Okay_, he thought._ What are Rosa's weakest points? She's a fashion whore, a whore for all hot guys, a whore for gambling, and a whore for society in general. Damn it, none of those things help me here! All she wants to do is be on top with me as her little lap dog! Wait a minute…_

"Rosa," he said, his voice becoming noticeably softer and more coaxing. "How about we make a little bet? If I win, you give me your Vidwatch. And if you win, I'll be a good little boy and return home with you without a fight."

Rosa stared at him with suspicion. "Like, that sounds good…but what's the catch?"

"Well…"

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

"Okay!" Kargo shouted from the back of the hovercraft. "I'm ready!"

Dressed in a pink raincoat, Hideaki turned to Kargo, smiling, only to sweatdrop when she saw the Namek's choice of outfit. "Don't you think that's a bit…much?" she asked.

"Whad'ya mean?"

"Um…" Hideaki looked Kargo over uneasily. Over his usual gi and hoodie, the Namek had on three yellow raincoats, two pairs of rubber gloves like the kind worn when washing dishes, and a large pair of galoshes for his feet. There were goggles over his eyes, a boat hat made of some shiny substance on his head, and a _gigantic_ umbrella in his hand.

He looked like a reject for the classic movie, _Singing in the Rain_.

"It's not like we're going to hike three miles, or anything," Hideaki said. "You don't need all that, eh, stuff."

"YES I DO!" Kargo shouted. "I NEED THESE OR ELSE THE GODS WILL STRIKE ME DOWN!"

"Wha..." Hideaki stared at him in disbelief. "Are you telling me that you think that you'll get struck by lightning?"

"I don't _think_ I'll get hit! I _know_ I'll get hit!"

The young woman snorted. "Listen to yourself! Do you even know the percentage rate for us _actually_ getting hit by lightning?"

"Fuck the percentage rate!" Kargo yelled, pulling his boat hat even further down on his head. "It's gonna hit me unless I'm fully prepared for it!"

Hideaki let out a cry of exasperation, and stomped outside the hovercraft, pulling the terrified Kargo out from behind her. "There!" she exclaimed as rain gently hit the top if her head. "See that? There's nothing to be afraid of! There's no lightning coming our way, now is there?"

Kargo didn't answer. As the sky flashed with another lightning bolt, Hideaki turned and saw that he had become completely pale and immobile.

"Uh-oh," she said quietly.

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

"Hmm."

Rosa rubbed her chin carefully. "You, like, want to bet on the winner of the miko challenge?"

Jiro nodded. "If Sachiko wins, then you leave me alone until I get back to the city. If that bitch Ayu wins, then I'll go back with you without a fight."

The redhead thought for a moment, before frowning. "Like, ha! What's gonna stop me from totally calling Mrs. Kutai anyway?"

"W-what? B-but…"

"I totally see no reason for me to stay in this dump for some stupid contest!"

Jiro paled. If she called his mother, it was over! His stomach churned. There were only two options left. He could kill Rosa, Lily, and Daisy, and bury their bodies in an inconspicuous location, or he could do the unthinkable and go with…option two.

He paused. He never, ever had to use option two before. It just wasn't done for a man of his status. He was the frickin' heir to Capsule Corporation, for crying out loud! He never used option two, because option two was never meant to be used!

_This is all Sachiko's fault_, he thought bitterly. _Her and her sissy, prissy, do-goody ways…It's made me soft! Good thing Vegeta can't see me now…_

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

"ACHOOOOO!"

Piccolo raised an amused brow at Vegeta. "Don't tell me you're catching a cold," the Namek said.

Vegeta rubbed his nose and gave Piccolo a glare. "Shut up, Namek."

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

Gods, option one was so tempting. Just a quick ki blast through the heart, and all his problems would be over. Well, Hideaki would be somewhat upset, and Sachiko would probably be scarred for life if he told her he had murdered three girls in cold blood, but what Sachiko didn't know wouldn't hurt her, right?

"Well?"

Jiro flinched as Rosa gave him a well-what-are-you-waiting-for look. He took a deep, _deep_ breath, and dropped to his knees on the floor. Rosa, Lily, and Daisy blinked.

"Um, Jiro?" Lily asked nervously. "Like, what are you doing?"

"I'll be your slave," Jiro said dully. All three of the girl's jaws dropped at his sentence.

"Like, _what_?" Rosa gaped at Jiro, her mouth opening and closing like a fish.

"Through the contest, I'll be your slave. I'll do whatever you want through the event, as long as you don't call my mother. But the bet is still on," he added quickly. "So…whad'ya say, Rosa? Accept my offer?"

Rosa stared at Jiro in complete disbelief. He was doing this for that little bitch! He would never, ever have done this for anyone, not even her! Well, she might as well make the best of it…

"Call me Mistress, slave," Rosa said, an evil smirk making its way through her red-coated lips. Jiro gulped.

He prayed to the gods that Sachiko would win.

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

**Jiro: Yeah, that's right! I sold myself to that bitch! YOU HAPPY NOW, SACHIKO? This is all your fault!**

**Sachiko: …**

**Jiro: Anyway, the freak and Hideaki make it to the village, and they find out something shocking from Sachiko. Mdeanwhile, I have to be Rosa's fucking lapdog, and I have to try NOT to kill her until the contest is over. Goddamn it, when will it end? HEY! There's more to Gohan the Third's past then we knew…**

**Read and Review. (Also, vote for your favorite character! Voting is still on!)**


	22. Aim for the Red

Disclaimer: (Clicks heels of magical ruby red slippers together) I wish I owned the DB series. I wish I owned the DB series. I wish I owned the DB series…HEY! How come I still don't own the DB series? I've been had! That skank Dorothy from the Wizard of OZ LIED to me!

A/N: The miko challenge is something I've made up. In the world today, mikos aren't really warriors. But in the past, they were more revered, and held more importance, and who knows? Maybe they actually did fight. But anyway, please don't get mad at me, all you religious peoples, you.

And as for poor Jiro…well, if you're against non-violent, yet sexually based torture, then…well…you've been warned. If it bothers you, you can borrow Rosa and kill her in your fics.

Anyway…on to the current standings.

1st: Sachiko

2nd (TIE!): Jiro and Kargo

Thanks to all reviewers! Special thanks to rimera, my consistent reviewer! You guys make me happy. Let's try to hit 80, everybody!

**_Chapter Twenty-Two: Aim for the Red_**

"For the love of…_come on, _Kargo! You've got your own freakin' legs!"

Hideaki panted as she stomped towards the feudal villages, pulling the comatose Namekian through the mud all the while. She flinched as a low rumble echoed above them, but continued to move on towards the dim lights in the distance.

"You are _so_ lucky my brother isn't here to see this!" she shrieked at the unmoving Namek. "He'd have a field day, knowing that you're scared stupid at lightning and thunder! Goddamn it!" Hideaki let go of Kargo, who immediately bent to the ground and covered his head as another streak of lightning illuminated the sky. "What the hell's the matter with you?"

"Hey!"

Hideaki whirled around, and squinted through the rain to see a young, brown-haired girl in the distance, near the entrance of the village before them. The girl was holding a bow and arrow in her hands, and was dressed in white and red robes, like a…a…

"A miko!" His fear temporarily forgotten, Kargo got up off the ground and wiped the water off of his goggles. "That means there's a shrine nearby! Sachiko and that asshole have got to be there!"

Hideaki sweatdropped. "Has it ever occurred to you that I might actually be offended that you're cursing my brother this way?" she asked.

"…"

"…"

"…well, you've never said anything about it before," Kargo replied slowly. "So…I just assumed you didn't care."

Hideaki sweatdropped again, before she shrugged it off. "Well, you're right. I don't care. It just gets a bit annoying at times, is all."

"Oh…"

"Hey!" The miko ran towards them, and Hideaki could now see that the girl's face—she looked just a little older than Sachiko, but that could have been the result of the scowl on the girl's face. The girl was also sopping wet, but she didn't seem to mind as she gave them an up-and-down stare.

_Note to self_, Hideaki thought privately. _Scowling causes one to look older, and could cause premature wrinkles. Avoid scowling at all costs._

"Who are you two, and where are you two from?" the miko asked suspiciously.

"We're just travelers!" Hideaki said quickly, laughing nervously at the girl's harsh tone. "We're just looking for my brother and his friend. I think they may have come to your village to pray and whatnot. Have you seen them?"

The girl's jaw suddenly clenched, and both Hideaki and Kargo fought the urge to back away. With narrowed eyes, the girl suddenly notched the arrow into her bow, and pointed it towards the sky.

"Is the boy tall?" she asked, her eyes following an unknown target. "Black hair? Blue eyes? Facially attractive, and about that one's height?" She jerked her head at Kargo, who had a nauseated look on his face.

"_Facially attractive_?" the Namek repeated, looking as if he wanted to throw up. "Are we still talking about the same punk who calls me 'freak' everyday?"

Hideaki shushed Kargo, and turned back to the miko, who was now pointing her arrow at a nearby tree. "Yeah, that sounds like my brother. Was there a little girl with him? She's really short, has dark blue hair and these really beautiful eyes…"

"Gold-ish in color?" the miko asked.

"Yeah! You've seen her?"

Without warning, the miko pointed her bow at Hideaki's head and released her arrow. Hideaki screamed and shut her eyes, only to hear the shrill caw of a bird, followed by a _thump_ as something light hit the earth.

Hideaki opened her eyes, and shrieked as a dead crow lay on the ground next to her, the arrow sticking out of its body in an odd angle. Kargo stared at the girl in shock, before anger twisted his features.

"What the hell were you doing?" he snarled. "You could have hit Hideaki, you crazy bitch!" He stopped, and his eyes widened. "Oh gods. Where's Sachiko? _Where is she?_"

The miko's lips twisted, so that it resembled a smile. "So, you're the other boy the red idiot told me about," she said. "And you're covered in—" the girl peered at him "—green body paint, too. This is rich. Don't worry; the miko of Amaterasu is fine. I'll take you to her. She should have finished praying by now. I'm Ayu, by the way." With that, the girl turned and walked towards the village.

Kargo and Hideaki exchanged worried glances, and slowly began to follow the miko. Hideaki then had to run after Kargo, who shrieked and bolted when a loud crash of thunder rang though the air.

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

She stared dully at the mirror.

Sachiko had finished praying a while ago, but she couldn't, _couldn't_, bring herself to leave the safety of the shrine. Tugging at the white and red robes that the head priestess had thankfully allowed her to borrow and wear, she turned away from her reflection, as if looking at her image was a crime in and of itself.

_I don't understand._

When one of the priests had come in to place a mirror for her, Sachiko had tried to ask him about Gohan the Third's crime, to explain it in more detail to her. He seemed nice, although a little timid, and had been on the verge of explaining it to her when Yuka had suddenly appeared at the entrance. The priest's face had become ghastly white, and he had left without a word as Yuka gave her a cold, reprimanding glare before leaving.

She had been by herself, praying by herself, since then.

She knew she should go and check up on Jiro. Those strange red girls could be doing anything to him, and Kargo and Hideaki weren't here to help them. Yet she didn't want to leave. It was too scary to go into the outside world at the moment, even when the storm finally died down.

_Lady Amaterasu, please guide me. I don't know what to do. I wish Goku-san or Pikkon-san was here. They'd know what to do._

"Please," she whispered. "_Please_. Show me the way so that I can end this peacefully."

She waited.

Only silence answered her.

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

Jiro turned green at the object in Rosa's hands. "You actually _carry_ that thing around with you?" he asked, backing away from her slightly.

Rosa smirked, and advanced on Jiro as Lily and Daisy giggled from the sidelines. "Like, of course, Jiji-kun. I totally knew that one day, you'd be throwing yourself at my feet. I, like, just wanted to be prepared."

"But a spiky, red-and-black _dog-collar_! With a _leash_!" Jiro almost leapt back as Rosa made a dive for him. "There's no way I'm going to wear that! No _fucking_ way!"

The redhead frowned, before she smiled and pulled up her sleeve. "Like, fine," she said. "I'll just give Mrs. Kutai a call and say hello then!"

"NO!" Jiro grabbed her wrist, and went on his knees. "FINE! I-I'll do it…"

"Good slave," Rosa said, patting Jiro on the head. He resisted the temptation to bite her red, manicured fingernails off.

_Damn that bitch…_

He bit his lip, trying not to scream as she placed the collar around his neck This was degrading. This was defiling. This was the most disgraceful thing he had ever done. But he forced himself to remain calm. Once they got the dragonballs, he could make his goddamn wish, kill Rosa in a painful way, and he could put this day behind him…

"_Jiro-kun_?"

_Oh no._

Slowly, almost painstakingly, he turned towards the entrance of the hut. At once, all the blood drained from his face.

_Oh fucking no!_

Standing at the doorway, with equally stunned and mortified looks on their faces, were Hideaki, Ayu, and Kargo, who was wearing the most ridiculous rain outfit he had ever seen. For a moment, all Hideaki and Ayu could do was blink. The Namek stared at him for a few more seconds, before he burst out laughing.

"Hahahahahahahaha! Oh my GODS!" Kargo cried hysterically. "Rich boy? Is that you? What are you, a bitch now? I thought you were the_ man_ of the family! HAHAHAHAHAHA!"

"SHUT UP, FREAK!" Jiro screamed, struggling get to Kargo as Rosa, Lily, and Daisy tried (and were so far failing) to hold him back. "SHUT YOUR GODDAMN FUCKING MOUTH! AT LEAST I DON'T LOOK LIKE AN OVERGROWN BANNANA POSING AS A SEA CAPTAIN!"

"YOU WANNA SAY THAT TO MY FACE?" Kargo shouted, his face once again becoming angry.

"GLADLY!"

"_ENOUGH_!" Hideaki yelled. She marched up to Rosa and glared at the younger girl. "Rosa, what the hell are you doing to my brother? Let him go at once!"

"Like, no way!" Rosa cried, wrapping her arms around Jiro's stomach. (This caused the boy's face to become even paler and greener than before, and it stopped his struggling.) "He totally promised to be my slave until the miko challenge is, like, over!"

"Miko challenge?" Hideaki stared at Kargo, who shrugged, before turning back to Ayu. "What's going on? And where the hell is Sachiko?"

"We're keeping her in a separate hut," Ayu said in a bored tone. "As you can see, one hut is a bit too small for so many people." She glanced at Jiro and the red girls, who already took up much of the room in the small house, before turning back to Hideaki. "You can go see her, if you'd like. She's in the hut near the shrine. There's a living space close to hers if you plan on staying."

"Wait!" Kargo interrupted. "You still haven't explained what's going on! Why is Sachiko—why are _all_ of you—staying here?" The Namek glanced at Jiro and the red girls, all hanging over the poor human boy like mournful puppies. Kargo smirked as Jiro pushed all of the girls off, before he spoke in a very aggravated tone.

"The folks around here," Jiro explained, "seem to think that Sachiko and I are girlfriend and boyfriend."

"WHAT!" Kargo shrieked, his eyes nearly popping out of his head. "YOU LIE!"

"I know! I don't know where they got that idea—" Jiro shot a dirty look at Rosa "—but now Sachiko's in some serious shit, and none of these village folks will listen to reason! Especially that bitch who's standing next to you!"

Kargo and Hideaki turned to Ayu, who simply snorted and turned away. "You guys put up a hell of a good act, you know that?" she said dryly. "You could almost convince my kind-hearted father if you continue to act with such passion. But you'll never convince _me_, or my mother."

"WE'RE NOT ACTING!" Jiro screamed, before he choked as Rosa jerked his leash backwards. Ayu's eye twitched slightly at that scene, but she placed her hands comfortably on her hips before she continued.

"Although we, as priests and priestesses of Lord Susanoo, are upset about miko Muzai's relationship with the boy, ("Goddamn it!" Jiro shrieked.) this is not the reason we are keeping her here. She is here because of a crime her family has committed against my family a hundred years ago."

"_Crime_?" Hideaki, Kargo, Jiro, Rosa, Lily, and Daisy all exchanged glances before turning towards Ayu. "What happened?" Hideaki asked.

"Well…it was like this. One day, a traveler came to the Shimane Prefecture…"

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

As she tossed and turned on the straw pallet, Sachiko threw the covers over her head and tried to go to sleep, despite it being only seven-thirty in the evening.

When she had finally left the shrine, she was shocked to find that the timid priest from before was waiting outside for her. When she asked for Jiro, he had only given her a shaky smile and had led her to one of the empty huts, telling her that her male friend was safe.

He had also gotten her something to eat, though he nearly had a heart attack when she asked for eight bowls of rice, three fish, four bowls of pickled radishes, and twelve cups of water.

Sachiko sighed. No one here wanted to talk to her. She considered going out of the village to see Kargo and Hideaki, and tell them what was going on, but the timid priest was standing awful close to the door of her hut…almost like a guard. She was feeling something now. She felt so alone, and so…so…she hated this feeling, this feeling of…of…

Oh great. She couldn't even get a handle on her own feelings.

"Sachi-chan! Sachi-chan!"

And now she was hallucinating. _I must miss Kargo more than I thought._

"Goddamn it! Get out of the way!" Yup, that sounded just like Kargo.

"You can't go in there!" the timid priest cried. "The miko of Amaterasu needs her rest! She's been praying for hours, and—EEK!"

Through her covers, Sachiko saw a yellow glow. She threw the blanket off of her head, and froze when the door to the hut flung open. A person overdressed in yellow raincoats practically flew into the room, and embraced her tightly as she was squished into his chest.

"Sachi-chan!" the yellow figure cried, and it took Sachiko a moment to realize that it was _Kargo_. "Sachi-chan, I'm so glad you're okay! I knew I shouldn't have let you go with that asshole!"

"Mmmph!" Sachiko yelled, her cries muffled by his chest.

"Sachiko-chan, we're getting you and Jiro out of here," Hideaki said. "These people are crazy. They have no proof that your great-great grandfather fucked—I mean, _deflowered_ their ancestor. It's just word against word!"

"Mmmph—pah! No!" Sachiko pulled away from Kargo's iron-tight hold and shook her head vigorously. "I'm staying here!"

"What?" Both Kargo and Hideaki stared open-mouthed at the small girl. "W-why?"

Sachiko bit her lip, before she stared at her red lap. "Because I think they're telling the truth," she said softly. "Yuka-sama has old scrolls in her hut that is said to be pages of Akiko's life-long journal. They're very old and ripped, and there are some pages missing, but I've read them, and even though I don't understand what deflowering is, what my ancestor did still seems pretty bad."

"But they might be wrong," Kargo said uneasily.

"They were right about Gohan the Third reaching Korin Tower," Sachiko replied quietly. "And honestly…I don't know anything about Gohan the Third's life _before_ he climbed the tower."

Kargo didn't respond. She made a point.

"I _have_ to take Ayu's challenge. I _have_ to." Sachiko paused for a moment, before she turned to Kargo. "Kargo-kun, what does 'deflowering' mean, anyway?"

"Ah…err…eh…" Kargo's face turned five shades of purple. "It's…ah…well, it's nothing you have to worry about until you're married!" the Namek said hurriedly, while wondering at the same time why he suddenly felt warm down _there_. That was certainly new, especially since he was supposed to be asexual. "But as a miko, you should never let anyone deflower you until you're married."

"Oh. Okay then."

At seeing Sachiko's passive face, Kargo smiled at the small girl gently, and hugged her. "If you're going to stay, then we'll help you."

Sachiko's face lit up. "Really?"

Hideaki nodded. "Of course we're going to help you! What, you think we're just going to abandon you during something like this? Besides, that Ayu girl told me that the archery round starts the day after tomorrow. But from what Kargo told me, you've had no experience with archery before."

"Um…no," Sachiko admitted, blushing. "My Grandfather and I usually just practice medicine and fighting…Our family hasn't used archery for years."

"Well," Hideaki boasted, puffing her chest up slightly, "it's your lucky day. I happen to be pretty good with a bow and arrow. I was top of my class when we took the sport during gym class at school."

"What's school?" Sachiko asked curiously. Hideaki paled, and cast a look of horror at Kargo.

"Feudal village," Kargo replied, shrugging.

"Oh my gods…"

Sachiko giggled, before she looked around. "Say…where's Jiro?"

Kargo's face immediately broke into a smirk, while Hideaki blushed and scratched the back of her head. "Well," the older girl began, "let's just say…he made a deal with the devil, and now he's a bit…tied up."

At this, Kargo burst out laughing, as Sachiko tilted her head in confusion. Unfortunately, the moment of laughter was cut short when the timid priest returned, this time with a tired, exasperated looking Yuka.

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

_Calm down, Jiro…it's not like they've asked you to get naked for them yet…_

Jiro forced himself not to break the neck of his fiancée as she and her idiot friends cooed over the ridiculous outfit she had stuffed him into. "Are you trying to get me killed? Or raped?" he snapped, despite himself.

"Like, what are you talking about Jiji-kun?" Rosa asked, running a hand up his lean arm. Jiro tried not to throw up. "You look totally good enough to eat!"

Jiro snorted, and looked down at his outfit. After forcing him out of his jeans and loose black shirt, she had forced him into a red, sleeveless top, made from silk that was completely form-fitting. All of his muscles could be seen, as well as his developing abdominals, and made him feel as if he was naked instead of clothed. But the worst was definitely the pants.

It was…shiny. There was no other word for it. It was leather that was so shiny that he could actually see his damn reflection off of his legs if he stared hard enough. Also, he was repulsed to find out that the pants didn't need to be held up by a belt—it was held simply by the sheer _tightness_ of the clothing to his body. He prayed that he didn't get any erections while wearing this…thing.

After looking at a mirror, he was mortified to find out that, with the addition of the collar from before, he looked like a gigolo. A handsome, sexy gigolo, yes, but a gigolo nonetheless.

Yes, he decided. Rosa was definitely trying to get him raped. He wondered if he would survive the night STD-free.

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

While everyone else went home for the night, Katsu Noh gulped as he nervously stood in front of President Kutai's office.

What on earth was he supposed to say to the man? He couldn't just walk up and say the truth. He didn't know how much the president knew, and he wasn't sure of how much information the president _should _know. One wrong move could ruin everything…

His thoughts were interrupted when the door flew open. Katsu froze when he found himself face to face with the father of the woman he had sex several times with. For a moment, his mind went blank. "Ah…ah…ah…"

"Ah, you've arrived!" President Kutai clapped him on the shoulder with a grin, and pulled him into the office before he knew what hit him. In seconds, Katsu found himself seated in front of the president's messy desk, with files of the current percentage of company shares scattered everywhere.

"So!" the president said loudly, startling Katsu back to reality. "You're the one whose been working with my Hideaki on her little _project_, eh? Good boy, good boy…"

Katsu's jaw dropped. That had been precisely what he had come to tell the man. "Excuse me, sir," Katsu asked, "But how did you know?"

President Kutai smirked. "I've been pulling files on the times the employees spend with my daughter. You, the janitor, and Dr. Rei have been pulling overtime frequently with Hideaki for the last couple of weeks. Don't worry," President Kutai laughed as Katsu paled. "I sealed the files. I'm the only one with access to them."

"Oh." Katsu sighed in relief. "That's good."

"So…have you heard from my children recently? I've been having trouble reaching them lately…"

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

The next morning, the skies remained cloudy, but no rain fell. After Sachiko finished her prayers, she was dragged by Hideaki towards the outskirts of the village, where Kargo (who was no longer wearing the raincoats, and now had his hood up) was waiting for her with a well-crafted bow and several arrows in his hands.

"Where did you get those?' Sachiko asked in awe as she took them from her friend's hands. Kargo smirked.

"That priest from yesterday gave them to me as an act of fear—I mean, _kindness_."

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

In the darkness of his hut, the timid priest sat in the corner of the room, curled into the fetal position as he sucked on his thumb, rocking back and forth every few seconds.

"So…so…_green_…"

When Ayu came in, she took one look at her father and shrieked. "Otousan! What in the name of Lord Susanoo are you doing?"

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

"That was very nice of him," Sachiko commented, as she tried to notch the arrow into the bow. "When do I have to give it back?"

"You can have it as long as you want," Kargo said, the smirk never leaving his face.

"Cool!" Sachiko exclaimed, before she gave him a sheepish smile. "Um, you're going to come tomorrow, right?"

"Hmm?"

"I mean, you're going to come watch me tomorrow, right? You know, against Ayu…"

"Of course!" Kargo exclaimed, and promptly glomped the small girl, who erupted into a series of giggles. "Like I'd miss you beating that creepy miko into the ground!"

"Ahem!" Hideaki cut in, as she removed and waved Kargo off with one hand. "Enough mush, please! Now, Sachiko. This sport requires lots of focus and concentration. This also requires much strength in the arms, and discipline in stance. Got it?"

Sachiko nodded vigorously.

"If anything gets messed up, your arrow may not hit your intended target. For example—" Hideaki turned to the circular target set up fifty feet away "—that target has three colors. The better your focus, the closer to the center of the target you'll hit. The point is to hit the red area, but if your focus is off, you might hit the yellow area, or worse, the blue. Worse case scenario? You miss the target completely."

"Eep," Sachiko squeaked.

"Exactly," Hideaki said, nodding. "Now, grasp the bow firmly with your left hand, and notch the arrow with your right. No, not like that—there! Okay, now raise the bow, and pull the arrow back. More. More! Good! Make sure that when you pull the arrow back, the shaft of the arrow is close to your eye level. Good! Now…you must focus. Aim for the red."

Sachiko frowned, and her arm shook slightly. "The bow string hurts my fingers," she complained. "And it tires my arm to pull it back like this."

"You have to hold it until you're sure of your target," Hideaki said firmly. "If you let go too soon, or too late, your arrow will fly off-target."

Sachiko groaned, and tried to will away the shaking in her arm. This didn't work, and her arm shook even more. She tried to focus, and attempted to aim for the red zone, but the quivering made it hard to aim correctly.

Finally, when she could take no more, she simply released. The arrow flew high, and missed the target completely, hitting a tree that was another twenty feet away.

For a moment, none of the three said anything. Finally, Kargo broke the silence.

"Good arm, Sachi-chan," he said cheerfully. "If you hit the target, you might actually break it."

"But she didn't hit the target, did she?" Hideaki said, her voice hard and reprimanding. She turned to the small girl with a frown. "Sachiko-chan, you can't just let go of the arrow when you feel like it. You have to focus, and be sure that your arrow will hit its mark."

Sachiko lowered her head. "I'm sorry," she said quietly. "It's just that my arm was getting wobbly…"

Hideaki sighed. "Try again," she said. Sachiko nodded, and notched another arrow. "Focus this time," Hideaki said sternly.

Sachiko's arm almost immediately began to wobble again, but this time, she forced it to remain still. _Focus_, she told herself. _Concentrate. You can do this._

Her shaking was smaller this time. When her aim was as close to the red as she could manage, Sachiko released the arrow. It flew straight and true, and the arrow hit the target, deep into the yellow area. Kargo let out a loud whoop of excitement, and Sachiko squealed in delight as she saw the results of her own effort.

"Better!" Hideaki cried, her eyes widening. "See, Sachiko-chan? When you focus, you can do it!"

Sachiko quickly notched another arrow. "I can do this!" she cried, and released almost immediately as she aimed for the red zone—but this time, the arrow flew straight into the ground, several feet short of the target. "Hey!" Sachiko cried. "What happened?"

"You have to use the same amount of energy every time you pull back and release an arrow," Hideaki explained. "If you use less energy, the arrow won't go as far."

"Aw, fudgecakes!" Sachiko yelled, and grabbed another arrow. "I'll keep trying, then! I'll keep practicing!"

"Like, _miko_!"

Sachiko turned, and saw the three red girls from before...along with someone else. She squinted for a moment, before she gasped. "Jiro?" What was he doing, wearing such small clothing? "OOOOH! Shiny!" Sachiko exclaimed as she saw his pants.

Hideaki couldn't speak. Her mouth opened and closed, but no words or sounds came out of her mouth. She was absolutely speechless. Kargo on the other hand, was anything but speechless.

"Ha…ha…BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Kargo fell to the ground, his body racked with hysterics and laughter. "Rich boy! HAHAHAHA! Look at you! You look like a total _man-whore_! HAHAHAHAHA!"

Jiro's left eye twitched, and he made a move towards Kargo, only to be yanked back in place by Rosa.

"Like, bad Jiji-kun!" she scolded. "Bad boy!"

"Heh…heh…" Kargo couldn't seem to get a hold of himself. "Heh…heh…JIJI-KUN! This is rich! HAHAHA!"

Unfortunately, his insane laughter had attracted the attention of Lily and Daisy. Lily slowly walked up to him as he finally stopped laughing, and stared at him. "Wow," Lily said, gazing at him closely. "Like, you're totally kind of cute for a green dude."

This effectively shut Kargo up. He inched away from Lily, closer to Sachiko.

"Jiro-kun…what are you wearing?" Hideaki asked slowly, still somewhat traumatized at seeing her brother dressed like a male whore.

Jiro snorted, and looked away. "Ask my _mistress_," he said gruffly. "I'm not allowed to wear anything other than this, so get used to it." His eyes fell on Sachiko, who was still wearing her miko robes from the day before. "Nice outfit," he remarked, looking her over.

Sachiko smiled. "Thank you!" she said, before frowning. She looked down and resumed staring at his shiny pants. "But Jiro, there's a big lump in your pants, right around—"

"That's enough!" Kargo yelled, covering Sachiko's eyes and pulling her away as Rosa yanked Jiro backwards with the leash.

"Like, don't compliment her, slave!" Rosa shrieked. She glared at Sachiko, before she yanked Jiro away. "You totally need all the practice you can get, loser!" Rosa shrieked as she left, with Lily and Daisy lagging behind. Lily blew a kiss at Kargo, who turned even greener.

"They scare me," he croaked to Hideaki as he slumped to the ground.

"They scare everyone, oh wise green one."

Sachiko didn't answer. She picked up another arrow, and notched it into the bow.

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

Sachiko couldn't sleep that night.

For one thing, she was too restless to sleep. For another, the bowl of rice and soup she had eaten wasn't agreeing with her, and her stomach had been rumbling uncomfortably all night. Also, her callused and sore fingers made touching things a painful matter. Maybe she should have stopped after her one-hundredth-fifty-first try with the bow.

_Boom._

That thunderstorm wasn't helping either.

_Boom._

Sachiko pulled the covers over her head, as Hideaki moaned from the pallet next to her.

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

_No. No, no, no, no, no._

Kargo sat up in his pallet, staring outside the hut in horror, then flinched as lightning flashed though the sky tauntingly. He cowered to the ground as thunder followed a few seconds later.

BOOM!

_This isn't fair,_ he thought. _I'm supposed to go with Sachiko to the archery round in a few hours. She asked me herself to come…no, no, no…I don't even have my coats this time…_

BOOM!

"Damn you!" Kargo shrieked. "Damn you, dad! You're the one who made me like this! I used to like thunderstorms before you messed me up!"

BOOM!

"Why are you doing this to me?" the Namek screamed. "Why can't you let me be _happy_ for one fucking moment? WHY?"

BOOM!

Kargo dug his head into the blankets.

_No, no, no, no, no…_

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

_No, no, no, no, no…_

Sachiko looked around as the rain fell thickly onto the group. Two targets were set up fifty feet away, almost identical to the one she had used to practice yesterday. Ayu stood slightly away from her, as if wanting to establish the fact that, yes, Sachiko was the opponent, but no, she had absolutely no respect for her.

_Kargo, where are you?_

She spotted Jiro in the growing crowd. He was still wearing his small, tight outfit, with the leash and collar strapped tight around his neck. She caught him giving her a small smile, before the redhead, Rosa, yanked at his leash possessively.

She made a metal promise to challenge the girl who had done this to him after their dragonball hunt.

Sachiko's heart rose when she saw a flash of green, but the color was from the robes of the timid priest.

_Darn it!_

"Followers of Lord Susanoo!" Yuka said loudly. "We are gathered here to witness two mikos fight for family honor. In this challenge, there will be three rounds…"

Again, the small girl twisted her head in all directions. She spotted Hideaki, who was also looking around worriedly, before the older girl turned and ran towards the village, probably to find the absent Namekian.

"Miko Ayu will go first!" Yuka said loudly, jerking Sachiko from her thoughts. The small girl watched as the older miko stepped in front of her target. Sachiko watched Ayu's face scrunch up in concentration as she drew the bow back. Sachiko trembled. She could feel the effort _radiating_ off the older miko.

Then, Ayu suddenly released the arrow, and it flew at top speed towards the target. With a loud _thak_, the arrow embedded itself deep into the center…right into the red area.

"BULL'S EYE!" The crowd cheered. Ayu pumped her fist into the air, and gave Sachiko a contemptuous look.

Sachiko couldn't stop trembling. As she tried to notch her arrow into the bow, her fingers slipped, and the soreness in her fingers increased tenfold.

This wasn't good.

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

**Kargo: Oh man…Sachiko, I'm sorry…please don't be mad! Wait…you're not mad? Damn it, why not? You have every right to be mad! Well, I'm going to make it up to you! Just don't lose at medicine and fighting! Something fishy's going on here, and I'm gonna find out what! Gohan the Third, your story will be told! **


	23. Use Peppermint Leaves for Flavor

Disclaimer: I want to own the DB series, but those damn lawsuits keep getting in the way!

A/N: I had to split this chapter again...the fighting round ended up not matching the tones here, and I hate it when my chapters exceed fourteen pages. Kargo apologizes for his mistake.

Sorry everyone, but you have to wait a while for the next update. A week or two, but I promise no more than that. It's not that I'm having writer's block, because I have the whole frickin' story laid out. I just don't have time to type this week.

Here are the current standings.

1st: Sachiko. Wow…you guys really like the chibi female clone of Goku, don't cha?

2nd (TIE): Jiro and Kargo. Looks like I might have to flip a coin for this. Oh well.

Thanks to all reviewers.

**_Chapter Twenty-Three: Use Peppermint Leaves for Flavor _**

The villages of the Shimane Prefecture were like the villages near the Amaterasu forest shrine—they were almost completely separated from the rest of civilization.

The villages were so isolated and distant from places of technology that South City wasn't even aware of the place of worship, and people from the nearest town only came when convenient. The villages didn't care, however. With Susanoo, the master of oceans and storms as their patron god, the villagers stuck to a strict daily pattern, where business _always_ came before pleasure, leaving almost no room for tomfoolery of any kind.

Ironically, the people of the Shimane Prefecture were more tolerable of city-dwellers than their Amaterasu-worshipping counterparts, as long as these city-dwellers didn't interfere with their daily lives. They believed that the cities would never be stupid enough to try to change them, as all their food practically came from the villages themselves.

The motto of the Shimane was this: If no one messed with them, then they wouldn't mess with anyone else.

So naturally, the arrival of the three red idiots from the West City didn't bother them in the slightest. Most of the villagers actually found their stupidity to be entertaining. The strange squirrel soaked in red liquid (also a recent arrival) didn't alarm them either.

The only thing that truly disturbed them was the fact that the Healer's assistant had gone missing around the same time the squirrel arrived. The nineteen-year-old, one of the very few youths of the village, possessed black hair and blue eyes.

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

_Drip. Drip. Drip._

The storm was over.

_Drip. Drip. Drip._

As the last drops of rain fell on the drenched earth, Kargo put his hood up and shot out of the hut, running for all he was worth towards the outskirts of the village. Though he was not a heavy believer in the gods, he prayed with all his heart that the archery round wasn't over, that he could still make it to see Sachiko beat that Ayu bitch to the ground…

Hideaki had come to him earlier, when the storm was still raging. She had pulled at his arm, trying to drag him out, screaming that Sachiko wanted, no, _needed_ him there…that she was waiting for him. He had responded by telling her to go away, that he would go once the storm stopped.

She called him a phobic, selfish bastard, before leaving in a fit of rage.

That had been almost two hours ago. His feet slapping against the muddy ground, Kargo finally saw the heads of the villagers as he ran towards the open clearing—only to stop when the crowds began to disperse, a majority of them laughing, looking more than pleased.

_Oh no…_

He twisted his head in all directions, trying to find Sachiko. _No…it can't be over_. In the distance, he spotted several figures (none wearing miko robes) near two large archery targets. One of the targets had arrows that were all completely embedded in the red area, while the second one was barely touched.

Only two arrows stuck out from the second target. One was in the yellow, while the other was in the blue. Kargo couldn't help but notice that there were a multitude of arrows sticking in the ground around the second target, practically screaming out the archer's poor focus.

_No_, he thought desperately. _This can't be Sachiko's work…she can do better than this, I know it…_

Suddenly, something painful whacked him on the back of the head, nearly giving him a concussion. Kargo spun around, clutching at the back of his head in pain, and met the enraged blue eyes of a pissed off Jiro.

"You son-of-a-bitch!" Jiro roared, jerking furiously at his leash as Rosa, Lily, and Daisy struggled to hold onto him. "Where the fuck were you? Sachiko was about to wet her pants looking for you, and Hideaki looked like she was about to bitchslap everyone here! In fact, I think I'll do it for her—MY WAY!"

Kargo barely ducked a punch from the enraged human teen, and grabbed Jiro's fist as the boy threw another straight at his nose. "Knock it off!" Kargo yelled, grabbing Jiro's other fist as it flew towards his stomach. "Where's Sachiko? I have to explain—"

"Like, don't touch my Jiji-kun!" Rosa screamed, and before he knew it, she and the Daisy girl were on top of him, beating at him mercilessly with their fists. (Lily, the one who scared him the most, thankfully stayed back.) Though Rosa's and Daisy's attacks caused minimal damage, having two unpleasant girls smack him around wasn't exactly making him feel any better, either…

"_What is going on here_?"

The two red girls immediately backed off, and Kargo looked up to see a furious Yuka, along with the timid priest. The head priestess gave each of them a heated glare, before rounding on Kargo. "_You_," she said, as if he was something revolting instead of a living being like her. "What happened here?"

"Nothing," Kargo said quickly, not wishing to anger the woman any further. Human or not, she scared the crap out of him.

"Then why were these girls trying to tear you apart?"

"He and I were talking," Kargo said, pointing to Jiro, "and things just got...a little heated. The idiots—I mean, _girls_, jumped in to stop us. It won't happen again, I promise." He bowed, as he'd seen Sachiko do with Goushi Muzai in the past.

Yuka's lips thinned, a sign that she didn't believe him, but she said nothing. Instead, she turned on her heel and headed towards the village, with the timid priest giving him an apologetic look before scampering off after her. For a moment, none of the youths said anything, until Rosa finally yanked at Jiro's leash.

"Like, come on, Jiji-kun! Let's totally get out of here! I, like, totally won the bet, so there's no reason for us to stay here, now is there?"

"Now wait a minute!" Jiro yelped, his face becoming white. "There are still two rounds left! Sachiko can still bounce back from this!"

Rosa snorted as she pulled Jiro away, making Kargo strain to hear her next words. "Like, I don't think she has any bounce _left_. She was totally gonna bawl her eyes out after that big miko made that last shot…like, what a baby. And did you see Hideaki? She, like, went to comfort the little idiot."

"Damn it Rosa!" Jiro yelled, his anger getting the better of him. "Stop calling her names!"

"Like, what did you say, _slave_?"

"I said—"

Kargo didn't stick around to hear what Jiro was going to say. He turned and ran towards the timid priest, who was still trailing like a dog behind Yuka. "Excuse me! Sir!"

The timid priest stopped, but so did Yuka. "What do you want?" the head priestess asked, annoyance clear in her voice. "The next round starts tomorrow morning."

"It's not that, ma'am," Kargo said as politely as he could. "I just want to know where my friends are. I'm talking about Sachiko and the young woman with light blue hair and light blue eyes…"

"You mean the miko of Amatersu, and the older sister of the boy you were arguing with?"

"Yes ma'am."

"She's with our Healer," Yuka snapped, her frustration becoming more and more evident. "The second round, medicine, is not a spectator sport. It is also over two days long, so your little friend will be quite busy."

"Please…I need to see her…" Kargo gave her a pleading look.

Yuka sighed, and turned to the timid priest. "Kai."

"Yes, my love?" the priest piped up, bowing immediately to the head priestess. Kargo couldn't help but notice that his voice was shaking slightly.

"Take this _boy_ to the herb gardens," Yuka said, glancing at Kargo's face distastefully. "My daughter and miko Muzai should be there by now, with the healer. Make sure he doesn't get lost."

"Yes, my love." The timid priest bowed so much at the waist that his forehead was almost touching his knees. He continued to bow like this even after Yuka left, and Kargo had to clear his throat loudly to gain Kai's attention. The timid priest immediately straightened up like a spring board, and turned towards Kargo, with an apologetic look on his face. "I'm so sorry," he said timidly. "I'm just never sure when my wife is out of the area, and she hates it so when I stop bowing before she leaves…"

Kargo said nothing. He only stared at the priest in shock and pity.

"Well," Kai said, laughing nervously. "Let's not talk about my scary, yet justifiably angry wife anymore! I'll take you to my daughter and the little miko! This way, please."

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

Sachiko fought against the tears. Instead of thinking about what happened earlier, she intertwined her fingers and tried to rub out the pain.

She had lost—humiliatingly, at that. When Ayu had hit the bull's eye for the twentieth time, it had taken all of her efforts to _not_ breakdown and cry in dismay. Somehow, she found herself continuing with a plastered smile.

Her loss was largely her own fault. Concentration, focus…all of Hideaki's words had flown out the window throughout the entire contest. She had had zero concentration because half of her mind had been worried about Kargo. She knew that the storm prevented him from coming, and part of her knew the minute she had seen the rain that Kargo wouldn't show up. But her mind, that small, optimistic part of her mind, hoped that he would come running into the clearing, screaming a war cry as he charged though the rain in his bananna-ish outfit from the day before.

After fifteen arrows left her bow, and fifteen arrows struck the ground, she gave up on that idea.

Hideaki and Jiro made her feel a little better. Jiro shouted curses at Ayu the entire time, despite Rosa yanking at his leash every ten seconds. Though Sachiko did not approve of his bashing Ayu, she couldn't find the heart to scold him for his actions. And after the round was over (when Yuka made absolutely no effort to hide her glee) Hideaki ran over to her and gave her a comforting hug.

She wished Hideaki was here with her now, instead of being sent off to the herb gardens to wait. _Darn the challenge rules…_

_Cough, cough._

Sachiko jerked herself back to reality, where the old Healer was pressing a damp cloth against the foreheads of two identical sixteen-year-old boys, one dressed in black, while the other was dressed in white. Both were lying down on straw pallets, and both were clutching at their stomachs in agony. One of the boys, the one dressed in black, opened his eyes for a few moments and stared at her, before he shut his eyes again and moaned. It was a nerve wracking sight.

Despite herself, Sachiko snuck a quick look at Ayu, and was surprised to see the older, usually more confident miko looking very, _very_ nervous.

"Now," the Healer said as the girls stared at the bed-ridden boys, "these patients both have the same ailment. What the ailment is, I'm not allowed to say, but once you two think you know what it is, alert me at once, so I can give you access to the herbs."

Ayu gulped, before nodded her head earnestly, while Sachiko moved her head up and down bleakly. "Okay," they said in unison, and the old man gave them both a smile before he made his way to the door. Before he left, he stopped, and stared back at Sachiko.

"Miko Muzai, may I see you for a minute, please?" he asked. Sachiko blinked, unsure of what to do, before she shrugged and followed the Healer out of the hut. When they were out of Ayu's earshot, the Healer took Sachiko's hands and looked over the sores gravely. "You've never used a bow and arrow before in your life, have you girl?" the old man asked, examining Sachiko's reddened fingers. Unused to the unfamiliar touch, she panicked and pulled her hands away, hiding them behind her back.

"It's okay," she said, trying to hide the tremors in her voice. "It doesn't bother me that much…really. I'll just put some Witch Hazel on it later."

The Healer raised an amused brow. "Witch Hazel, eh? You know your medicine, I'll give you that. Not like Ayu…"

"Huh?" Sachiko stared at the man, confused, but he said nothing else. Instead, he took a small jar out of his bag, and opened it to reveal the white cream inside. Scooping out a small amount with his fingers, he took Sachiko's hands and began to smear the cream onto her cuts.

_Aieeeee!_ Sachiko nearly shrieked at the touch. That cream was cold! The Healer watched her face and laughed, spreading more of the medicine onto her hands.

"This is made from Witch Hazel too," the Healer explained. "However, I've made it stronger, so that it closes wounds more quickly. Plus, it gives you a little tingle, as I'm sure you're aware."

Sachiko nodded, shivering slightly. The Healer patted her hand as he applied the last of the medicine.

"You are a very sweet child, Muzai Sachiko. But I've watched you earlier, and I daresay you need more focus. Was—" the Healer paused for a moment "—was something bothering you? You seemed troubled."

A small blush spread through her face, but Sachiko forced herself to shake her head. "It's nothing, honored elder. I think I was just thinking too much again! That's why sometimes it takes me forever to get a fighting move right, even if I have the best _sensei_ in the world…" Thoughts of Goku and Pikkon seeped into her mind, and soon a sheepish smile made its way to her face.

"That a smile I see?" the Healer asked, his own wrinkled face breaking into a grin. "That's good. Those two boys need a smile right now, with what they've been going through. Well, I'm off! I expect to see you and miko Ayu at the herb gardens before the moon rises."

With that, he bowed his head and left.

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

Growing up in West City had its perks, and unfortunately, its setbacks. Hideaki had never eaten, drank, or even seen food from other areas, and because she always had servants attend to her, this left her more or less daft about cooking food from scratch.

In the herb gardens, she sniffed cautiously at the boiling kettle the old Healer had set over the fire. She thought the substance would be bitter and nauseating to smell, but surprisingly the pot gave off a refreshing, minty scent. Curious, Hideaki peered inside, and saw that the old man had thrown in several peppermint leaves, along with a sakura blossom for visual effects.

_Tea. Just how I like it, too._

She never had tea unless she was in a café, but of course the towns and even the villages would have it too. She berated herself for thinking so lowly of the feudal villages—her mother's discrimination had affected her more than she liked to admit.

"Ah, I see the water's boiling."

Startled, Hideaki jumped and whirled around, only to meet the wrinkled face of the old Healer. Hideaki moved back, embarrassed, and lowered her head. "Sorry," she apologized. "I didn't mean to snoop. Scientist's intuition, I guess…"

_Way to go, Hideaki_, her mind snapped at her. _Tell these technology-hating people you're a scientist. That'll really get them to warm up to you!_

But surprisingly, the old man merely laughed and pointed a finger at the kettle. "Would you care to join me, miss?" he asked, his voice booming and hearty despite him being a man of sixty-five. "I usually drink tea around this time, but it's always more comfortable to drink with company. Tea is such a calming drink, don't you agree?"

"Um…yeah, I guess…" Hideaki watched, standing awkwardly to the side as the Healer went into his hut and emerged with two floor mats, which he placed on the ground near the fire. Wanting to help, Hideaki wrapped a handkerchief over the handle, and lifted the kettle off the fire. She poured the tea into cups the Healer provided, and for a moment, sat down to simply watch the sakura blossoms float around in the hot drink.

It wasn't until she got tired of watching the pink petals that she realized the liquid was green.

_Green_. Hideaki's lips twisted slightly, and she lowered her cup. The anger from earlier in the day returned with a vengeance, and all her thoughts turned to _him_.

She hadn't expected such cowardice from Kargo. She had expected him to run out of his hut, raincoat or no raincoat, towards the clearing, so that Sachiko would be at peace, and able to focus. But what she saw was a frightened little green boy with a phobia of thunderstorms, who was too afraid to go out even for his best friend.

What made her even angrier was the fact that Sachiko hadn't even gotten mad. Instead, she said that Kargo had a perfect reason to not come, that it wasn't his fault, that storms always made him act antsy, blah, blah, blah…Hideaki would have slapped her if she didn't like the small girl so much.

She didn't care what caused Kargo to be so afraid. The past was the past—one had to move on with the future to get ahead in life!

As far as she was concerned, Sachiko's horrific loss was all Kargo's fault. She knew it was a bit unreasonable, but she didn't give a damn. The small girl needed him there; he was like a goddamn arm and leg to her. At least Jiro had the will to show up, even if he _was_ getting tortured by the girls from hell!

"Are you alright?" The Healer peered at her, his eyes showing signs of worry. "Your hand is shaking, miss."

Hideaki blinked, and looked down. Sure enough, her hand was shaking. Like quicksilver, her anger vanished, and was replaced with embarrassment for having shown her emotions so openly to a stranger. The shaking stopped.

"Are you alright?" the Healer asked again. "You seem upset."

"It's nothing!" Hideaki said, waving her hand in the air to dismiss the thought. "I was just thinking of a very disappointing and frustrating event that inconveniently happened earlier this day."

"Ah." The Healer shook his head. "The archery round."

"Err…sure, let's go with that."

"I can't imagine why Yuka and Ayu are going after that poor child so harshly," the Healer sighed, sipping at his tea. "She's such a compassionate and caring little girl…when I saw her earlier, her eyes were red, but her face wasn't tearstained. She's trying so hard not to cry…"

"I know!" Hideaki exclaimed, accidentally spilling some tea out of her cup. "I don't understand. This whole mess happened a hundred years ago. Can't they just let it go?"

The Healer gave her a horrified look. "Certainly not! The crime in question is grave! The challenge must be held!"

"But…then…what were _you_ talking about?"

"_I_ was talking about Yuka possibly challenging miko Muzai's mother, or whoever the head of the Amaterasu forest shrine is at this point. It makes more sense than going after such a young girl…"

"What?" Hideaki stared at the Healer in shock. "Sir…don't you know what's happening with the villages near West City?"

"Why, no. What's the matter over there?"

The hand that held the cup began to shake again. "My gods…there's been several massacres! All of the villagers have been slaughtered! How could you _not_ know?"

The Healer's eyes widened, and all of the color drained from his face. "S-slaughtered? How? Why?"

"See!" Hideaki yelled, waving her arms in the air furiously, spilling more of her tea. "This is what happens if you don't use technology! Sir, the villages were attacked _months_ ago! Sachiko-chan's mother and grandfather were both killed, and now she's wandering around, trying to search for the—" Hideaki stopped. The Healer gave her a confused look.

"Trying to search for the…what?"

"Trying to search for the—the—the peace of mind she's lost since the tragedy!" Hideaki half-lied, clutching at her near empty cup. "It's been so…so very hard for her…that's why me and my brother are traveling with her. In times like these, friends have to stick together."

"Who killed them?" the Healer asked, his face becoming paler and paler. "Who killed the villagers?"

Hideaki was about to answer, when she stopped. The memory of Kargo and Sachiko telling her that the men responsible used weapons that came from Capsule Corporation was not the answer she wanted to give. Fact was, she had no idea who the men were, and knew that it was not an issue she could avoid any longer.

But that didn't mean she had to tell the villagers the truth just yet.

"We don't know," she finally answered. "All we know is that the perpetrators are young men."

"Oh. Oh my goodness." The old Healer looked away from Hideaki, his face now white as a sheet. "This is…this is horrible. Yuka must learn of this, this is…oh my goodness…" He struggled to sit up, only to fall back on his mat. "Oh my goodness…"

"You okay?" Hideaki asked, now worried for the old man. "Um, do you want to lie down?" The Healer shook his head furiously.

"No! I must find Yuka and Kai. They have to know…speak of the devil, here comes Kai."

Hideaki looked up, and immediately wished she hadn't. The timid priest was walking towards them, followed by Kargo, whose guilt-ridden face could clearly be seen under his blue hood.

_Serves him right_, she thought cruelly.

"Kai!" the Healer called out, shakily rising to his feet. "Kai! I have learned something terrible! You must listen!"

Hideaki watched as the Healer dragged the timid priest away, before she rounded on Kargo, who was also watching the scene before him with confusion. "What's going on?" he asked, as he saw the old man drag Kai deeper into the herb gardens.

"Like you care," Hideaki spat, before she turned on her heel and walked as quickly as she could towards the large pumpkin patches in the distance. She didn't want to see his face. She didn't think she could stop herself from slapping him.

As she stomped off, she saw Ayu approach the entrance of the herb gardens, but saw no sign of Sachiko.

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

When the Healer left, Ayu had practically pounced on the white-robed twin, leaving Sachiko with the black-clad one. As Sachiko tried to make the black twin more comfortable, Ayu had merely felt the white twin's pulse several times, and had forced him to drink some water before leaving the hut.

She wiped the black twin's sweaty face with the damp cloth the Healer had left before, and tried to unclench his hands as he gripped at his stomach, almost to the point where his fingernails were cutting through his flesh.

She flinched when the boy grasped her hand and opened his eyes, a look of agony pouring out at her as he silently pleaded for help. Sachiko forced herself to smile, and gently placed a kiss against his white knuckles. "It's okay," she said softly. "You'll be okay, I promise."

Though unsure of her own words, the boy seemed to take them to heart, and his grip on her hand lessened. The white twin turned his head in their direction, his face holding a somewhat longing expression.

Using her other hand, Sachiko slowly prodded at the black twin's stomach, noting when the boy winced, and when he just looked uncomfortable. "Have you gone to the bathroom recently?" Sachiko asked as the boy squirmed under her touch—her hand was on his lower abdomen, just above his private area.

"Not…not recently," the boy whispered, his voice strained with pain. "I haven't gone to the bathroom for three days…I'm constipated."

"Constipated…you mean, you can't make poopie?"

The black twin sweatdropped. "Y-yes…"

"Huh." Sachiko quickly wrote this down on a blank piece of scroll that was nearby. "Well, when you eat, how do you feel? Happy? Full of energy?"

"Tired," the black twin whispered, leaning his head back against his pillow. "I'm always tired after I eat. It's been like this for a while now. So…tired…"

Sachiko wrote all this down, and paused to wipe the boy's mouth and neck. Doing so, she noticed something brown in the corner of his mouth. She wiped it off with one finger, and held said finger close to her face. "What is this?" she asked. The boy suddenly reddened, and turned away. Frowning, Sachiko tasted the brown substance, before she choked and spat it out. "Dirt!" she cried. "This is dirt!"

The black twin reddened even more. Sachiko turned to the white twin, and saw that he too, was red. She turned back to the black twin, and noticed something white on his neck. She paused for a moment, wondering if it was more dirt, before she gave in to curiosity and wiped off the white grains, tasting it with more caution this time. She was shocked at what she found. "Salt?"

She turned to the black twin, who was attempting to pull the covers over his head. Sachiko quickly grabbed them, and pulled them back down so that she could see his flushed face. "You've been eating dirt and salt?" Sachiko asked. "Why?"

"I—I don't know!" the boy cried, and his hands clutched at his stomach once again. "I can't explain. It's like I _need_ to eat dirt and salt. I can't stop myself. It's like a craving…"

Sachiko bit her lip, before she turned to the other twin. "D-do you feel the same as him?" she asked. The white twin nodded.

"Hmm." Sachiko thought for a moment. Constipation. Stomach pain. Fatigue after eating meals. Strange craving to eat dirt and salt. It was like something was eating away at the black twin's energy, specifically in his stomach area.

Her eyes widened.

After writing some more on the scroll, she thanked the twins and promised that she would return, before running like the wind towards the herb gardens.

The near full moon had just begun to rise.

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

Kargo glared at Hideaki as she very slowly sipped at her third cup of peppermint tea.

"Hideaki, how many times do I have to admit this? I_ know_ I was wrong. Now tell me where the fuck Sachi-chan is! PLEASE! Just let me talk to her and apologize!"

The older girl said nothing, and continued to drink.

"Goddamn it!" the Namek yelled. "If I was Jiro, you wouldn't be doing this to me!"

"Wrong," Hideaki said, her voice unnaturally calm. "If Jiro had done what you did, I would have kicked his ass from here to Kingdom Come. Not with brute strength," she added hastily when Kargo gave her a look of disbelief. "With science."

"Whatever. Look, why are you so pissed at me? I'm trying to make this right!"

"Make it right?" Hideaki lowered her cup, and gave him a quizzing stare. "You want to make it right? You haven't seen Sachiko's face when we all realized that you weren't coming. You didn't see her constantly looking over her shoulder to see if her best friend was coming to support her. You didn't see her get humiliated for something that wasn't even her fault! So tell me, oh wise green one—" Hideaki's eyes narrowed to slits "—how will you make this right?"

"I…I…" Kargo couldn't speak. "I…I don't know…"

"Exactly." Hideaki returned to her tea.

"But I won't give up on trying!" the Namek cried. "I just need to see her, talk to her, and figure out how to solve all this!"

"There's nothing to solve!" Hideaki shrieked back. "Gohan the Third fucked a miko here, and now Sachiko's paying for it. You ran off when she needed you, and now I'm going to do my best to make sure that this doesn't happen again you—"

"Hold on!" Kargo interrupted. During Hideaki's rants, he had been thinking about what he had been told about Gohan the Third. "So far, this is all happening because of the scrolls hanging in Yuka's hut, right?"

Hideaki blinked, and stared at the soggy peppermint leaves in the bottom of her cup. "I think so," she said, before her face resumed its look of anger. "Why are you asking me this?"

"We have to get to Yuka's hut, and take a look at those scrolls. I think that—"

"Kargo-kun."

The Namek stopped. Slowly, he turned around and saw Sachiko standing behind him, looking tired, frustrated, and exhausted as she held a piece of parchment in her hand. Immediately, his mouth dried up, and he felt as if his feet were rooted to the ground. All the apologies he had prepared, all the words he had rehearsed in his head vanished into thin air, and he looked away, unable to face her.

Damn it, how could she still use the honorific with his name? How could she?

"Are you feeling better now?" He could hear the fatigue in her voice. Also, a trace of something he couldn't quite make out…silent disappointment, perhaps?

"You don't have to answer, Kargo-kun. But…I don't blame you, so don't blame yourself, okay? Hideaki-chan, don't look at me like that…I don't blame him…"

"Sachiko-chan," he heard Hideaki say, "Why don't you take a rest? You look so...well, you don't look like yourself."

"I can't," he heard Sachiko whisper. "Ayu's already ahead of me. I saw her boiling her herbs already. I have to get the right herbs, and I have to give it to the boy tonight, while the moon is almost full."

"Why?" he heard Hideaki ask.

"Because this is when they have the most energy."

"Who's _they_?"

"I'll tell you later. How's Jiro?"

"He's been in a hut with Rosa all afternoon. Lily and Daisy were locked out. I really don't want to think what those two have been doing."

"What do you think they're doing?"

"…You don't need to know, Sachiko-chan. Trust me. Just know that my brother will come to appreciate you more in the upcoming days…if we ever get out of this mess."

"Oh. Okay."

Suddenly, Kargo felt a hand on his arm. Despite himself, he turned and saw Sachiko's face, with a tired smile stretched across her lips. "See you in two days," Sachiko said, squeezing his arm gently. Then she turned and headed towards the Healer, who was waiting for her in his hut.

When she was gone, Hideaki let out a low whistle. "I'll give you this much," she said. "She's too forgiving."

Kargo said nothing.

"You still haven't apologized to her, I noticed," Hideaki continued.

Kargo still said nothing.

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

In his hut, the Healer squinted at Sachiko's notes as he browsed through his stores. "You want the polyporus mylittae?"

"Yes sir," Sachiko said, holding her hands out as the old man dropped the herb into her hands. "To make the body feel all clean and pure on the inside!"

"Catechu seed and rhubarb roots."

"For healthy stomachs!" Sachiko explained, taking the seeds and roots.

"Garlic."

"Good for di-gest-ting all the food you just ate."

"Pumpkin seeds and wormwood artemisia.."

"Good for making poopie!" Sachiko said, giggling despite her fatigue.

"Green hulled black walnut." The Healer looked up from the notes. "Any particular reason why you want the green hulled, my dear?"

Sachiko nodded. "The green hulled have the most medicinal properties. Once the green fades, the medicinal value fades with it."

"Excellent," the Healer replied, smiling as he picked the greenest black walnuts he could find. "Now…cloves?"

"Makes the blood for your lungs and stomach healthier."

"And…peppermint leaves?"

"For flavor!" Sachiko said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Oh. I see…"

Sachiko took all of the herbs from the old man, and bowed slowly, so as to not drop them. "Thank you very much, sir!"

"Are you sure of your choices?" the Healer asked. "Miko Ayu came by long before you, and her herbs were quite different from yours."

Sachiko froze, and for a minute, she doubted. But only for a minute. "No. I'm okay."

"Are you sure? Are you _absolutely_ sure?"

"Yes. I'm not allowed to be in doubt when it comes to caring for the lives of other people!"

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

**Bloodthirsty Squirrelly-Squirrel: You all thought I was gone, didn't you? HA! I'm back, and there's nothing you can do about it! I will eventually devour the male with the ice blue eyes, but until then, I shall…practice. Next chapter, the second round ends, and the final round begins…the truth about what happened a hundred years ago will be brought to light! What? ANOTHER VILLAGE ATTACK?**


	24. Honor by Half Truths

Disclaimer: If I owned DBZ…well, the movie Fusion Reborn would have been more like its PSP counterpart, Shin Budokai.

A/N: Sorry! This is taking way longer than I thought…so I broke this chapter in two. Again! Here's part one!

(Polls are closed!)

_**Chapter Twenty-Four: Honor by Half-Truths**_

The near-full moon shone brightly as it rose to its highest point in the sky. At this point, almost all of the villagers were headed off to sleep, Yuka and Kai included. The sentinel archers took their night post by the outskirts as one by one, the lanterns and torches were put out, enveloping the villages in the glow of soft moonlight. It was a serene sight, broken only by the lamplight of one hut near the herb gardens.

Lifting the boy's head carefully, Sachiko slowly spooned the bittersweet medicine into his mouth, taking care not to spill even the smallest drop. She paused as the black twin swallowed the liquid and winced in displeasure, before dipping her spoon back into the white ceramic bowl.

"Blech!" The black twin stuck out his tongue as she held another spoonful in front of his face. "Good heavens above, how much of this do I have to drink? I'd almost rather be sick!"

The small girl blinked her tired eyes, and gazed at the twin almost solemnly. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "I wanted to put in peppermint leaves to add flavor, but there wasn't enough time to boil them. And anyway, they're not important ingredients."

"Ick. Do I have to drink all of this, miko Muzai?"

Sachiko sighed, and popped the spoon into his mouth before he could protest. "You have to drink at least _half_ of it. You have to drink at least half this bowl tonight, otherwise it's gonna take longer to heal you. And the longer it takes, the weaker you're going to get."

The black twin shivered at the thought, before he slowly sat up and looked at her questioningly. "So…what's wrong with me, miko Muzai? Did I contact some strange virus?"

"Well…"

A loud clearing of the throat startled the two, and they turned to see Ayu sitting rather crossly next to the white twin on the other side of the hut. Her lips thinned as she glared at them through slit eyes, and her message was clear: _Shut your goddamn mouths, the both of you._

Sachiko and the black twin fell silent. Obviously the older miko did not want to hear what Sachiko's diagnosis was, seeing as they used different prescriptions. The small girl bit her lip, and turned to the white twin in worry as the boy complained to Ayu of her less-than-gentle treatment of him.

She had seen the older miko's herbs—they were calmatives, and herbs for stomachaches. But while they would dull the pain, Sachiko knew that the twins had more than a mere stomachache, and the herbs Ayu had chosen could very well worsen the situation, not help it.

After all, what could calmatives do for a person with parasites in his stomach?

Sachiko set down the half-full ceramic bowl, and carefully wiped the black twin's chin as she helped him lie down. Then, she forced her weary legs to stand as she trudged her way towards Ayu, who looked as if she was on the verge of murder with the white twin.

"Darn it," Ayu hissed, "would you go to sleep already? That stomachache is not going to go away if you spend half the night complaining!"

"I feel worse!" the white twin whined. "That wasn't medicine! That was poison! I want the Healer!"

"For the rest of this and the next day, I AM the Healer!" Ayu yelled, startling Sachiko and both the twins. "So stop your complaining and go to sleep before I decide to make your medicine even _more_ bitter!"

The white twin whimpered, and turned his head. When his eyes fell on Sachiko, he let out a low moan. "How come my brother gets the _nice_ miko?" he wailed. "At least she listens to what we have to say! She doesn't yell at us all day like a mountain witch!"

Ayu's eyes flashed. "Why you ungrateful…" She lifted a hand to strike him, when Sachiko quickly grabbed her raised wrist. The older miko whipped her head around, and stared at Sachiko with wide, disbelieving eyes as the small girl pulled Ayu to her feet and dragged her out of the hut. When they were considerably out of the twins' earshot, Sachiko released Ayu's wrist and gave the older miko an angry stare.

"How could you?" Sachiko whispered angrily, as if the villages could hear the slightest sound they made. "He is your patient. He needs you. No matter how testy he gets, you never, _never_ strike the ones who need you! Never!" The last whisper was so loud and harsh that it sounded close to a hiss. Ayu blinked for a moment, not used to seeing the normally cheerful child this angry. But the moment quickly passed.

"Who do you think you are?" Ayu shot back. "I am your superior by two years. I have been training under my mother all my life. I am more experienced than you are, so don't you _dare_ tell me how to treat my patients!"

"Experience doesn't mean anything," Sachiko said quietly. "Once a mistake is made, it doesn't matter if the person has been practicing medicine for one year or a hundred. A mistake is a mistake."

"What are you saying?" Ayu asked suspiciously. "Are you implying that you think I made a mistake with my treatment?"

Sachiko sighed, and gave Ayu a weary stare. "I don't want to fight," she whispered. "I also know that you don't want to hear my opinion on what illness the boys have. I'm just saying that maybe you should…check your patient again. More carefully, this time."

A muscle in the older miko's jaw twitched. "This is a trick, isn't it?" Ayu snarled. "You messed up the medicine, so you're trying to mess _me_ up by getting me to doubt myself!"

"No!" Sachiko yelped, her eyes wide with horror. "How could you even think that I would do something so dishonorable?"

"Have you or have you not been listening to my mother when she told you about Gohan the Third?" Ayu spat. Sachiko froze, and whatever color was left in her face vanished. Ayu smirked. "That's what I thought. As you can see, I _can't_ trust you, because dishonor runs in your family."

This was more than the small girl could bear. "_Please_!" she begged. "Check your patient again! Your herbs won't help him! It's much worse than you think!"

"Shut up!" Ayu yelled as she turned and walked back towards the hut. "I know what I'm doing! Now learn your place!"

"Are you willing to let him die of starvation?" Sachiko cried, throwing all caution to the wind. She no longer cared if the villagers heard her. "Are you willing to let that boy die of hunger, just so you can get your revenge on my family? Is honor really so important that you would neglect those who need you to achieve it?"

_Starvation?_ Ayu stopped. Slowly, she looked back at the small girl, who was on the verge of collapsing from fatigue and stress. The older miko looked at the girl's face, and was shocked to find a look of absolute despair.

_Maybe_, her mind whispered, _she's being sincere? No, don't be stupid. The boy's been eating; how can he die of starvation?_

Ayu turned her back to Sachiko again and walked towards the hut, her pace faster this time. _She's lying,_ Ayu told herself. _She's a lying little witch who can't accept the fact that I'm about to beat her._ Ayu forced her mind to accept this reasoning as she went inside the hut.

Yet somehow…she began to doubt.

Ayu stared at the moon that shone through the entrance of the hut. She bit her lip, and bent down towards the fitfully sleeping white twin to recheck his pulse. She couldn't forget that look of despair on the girl's face. It was too haunting.

Back outside, Sachiko slumped to the ground, staring at the soil beneath her with lifeless eyes. She was too tired to take in anymore abuse, and her spirit had finally accepted this. She very gingerly pulled her cramped tail out of her pants, where it had been hidden all this time. She laid her head against a nearby tree trunk and closed her eyes.

In the distance, the old Healer emerged from the shadows. He stared at the worn Sachiko for a moment, before he turned his head to the direction that Ayu left in. He shook his head with pity for the two girls.

But the pity he felt for Sachiko was different from the pity he felt for Ayu.

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

Kargo couldn't sleep.

After Sachiko had received her herbs from the Healer, he had asked the old man when the fighting round of the challenge would be held. He had expected it to be a day or two after the medicine round, but his eyes had nearly popped out of his head when the old man had told him the fight would occur _right after_ the medicine round. When Kargo had complained about the unfairness of the timing, seeing that Sachiko was bone-tired, the Healer had merely sighed, and sipped at his tea.

The Namek growled, and sat up in his pallet. No way would he allow this to go on. No fucking way.

Slipping his hoodie over his head, he snuck out of the Healer's second hut and headed over to the two oak trees at the edge of the herb gardens, where Hideaki had set up a hammock.

"It's not raining," she had said, "and I plan to enjoy every minute of the summer night here. It's a learning experience. Besides, the smell of the herbs ought to numb my brain enough so that I can forget this horrid day."

Kargo's lips twisted into a bitter frown as he approached the sleeping Hideaki. He hadn't noticed this before, because they usually slept apart, but Hideaki wasn't as aesthetically pleasing at night as she was in the day. Her makeup was off, revealing a pale, scrubbed face. Light blue hair hung in tangled clumps over on her head, and her arms and legs were swung over the edges of the hammock, giving her a rather undignified appearance. Her mouth was open, and she was snoring lightly, with a thin trail of saliva dribbling down her chin.

_Ew._

He paused for a moment, only for a moment, before he cautiously poked Hideaki's arm. _Poke. Poke. _"Hideaki? Hey, Hideaki! C'mon, get up!"

"Err…huh?" Hideaki's eyelids fluttered, and one eye cracked open. "Wha' time izzit?"

"It's five o'clock in the morning."

"Oh. Okay. Ten more minutes." Hideaki flopped back down on the hammock and resumed snoring. "Zzzz..."

"…"

"Zzzz…"

"…"

"WHAT?" Hideaki shot straight up in her hammock, and stared at him with bulging eyes. "FIVE IN THE MORNING? ARE YOU MENTAL?"

"SSSSSHHHHHHHHHHH!" Kargo shushed her hurriedly as he put a finger to his lips. "Damn it, Hideaki! Keep your voice down! I don't want to wake the whole goddamn village!"

"But it's _five_ in the _morning_! What the hell is wrong with you? Go back to sleep before I tell Jiro-kun that he has permission to bash your green head in! And I'll do it too!"

"Fine!" Kargo hissed. He turned and stomped in the direction of the village. "I'll just go to Yuka's hut myself, then! When I figure out the truth behind those fucking scrolls, I'll just take all the credit—"

"Hold it!" Hideaki grabbed Kargo's arm and pulled him back towards her. "You're going to _Yuka's_ hut to check out those diary scroll things? Why?"

Kargo frowned, and his brows furrowed. "Well first off, the Healer told me that Yuka always sleeps at Kai's hut, so she won't be there now. Second off…I dunno…when Ayu told us about Gohan the Third, something just seemed off. I mean, first we were told that Gohan the Third wasn't really smart at the beginning, but later on she said that he was able to seduce Akiko, who was a miko on the verge of becoming head priestess."

"Yeah, and?"

"Well, think about it," Kargo persisted. "Mikos who become head priestesses not only have to protect their village and shrine, but they have to be knowledgeable about many things, like customs, traditions, and caring for people in general. They not only have to be pure in body, but pure in mind and heart as well. They're supposed to be intelligent women."

"Intelligent, huh?" Hideaki blinked for a moment, before she gave Kargo an uneasy look. "If they're supposed to be intelligent women, then how come Sachiko…"

"Sachiko's not stupid!" Kargo snapped, narrowing his eyes. "She's just…um…_uniquely_ gifted in certain areas."

"Right…"

"Anyway!" Kargo continued. "The point is, if Gohan's intelligence is questionable, then we need to investigate. And when I say 'we,' I mean _us_, not biased villagers that are hell-bent on Sachiko's destruction. Are you in or not?"

"Of course I'm in!" Hideaki answered, before she yawned and plopped back into the hammock. "But let's continue this at a more reasonable time…like noon. Go back to sleep."

Kargo's eye twitched as Hideaki snuggled back into her hammock. Completely out of patience, he grabbed Hideaki by the leg and yanked her out of the hammock, making her land on the ground disgracefully.

"Ack!" Hideaki shrieked as her face hit the dirt. She spat out soil and pebbles as she lifted her head to glare at Kargo, who had a smirk on his face. "You jerk! You son-of-a-green-bastard!"

Kargo simply crossed his arms. "Like I've never heard that before," he said snidely. "So? Are you coming or not?"

Hideaki groaned in exasperation, but stood on her feet anyway. "Fine, you creep! I'll come! But you _do _know the way back to Yuka's hut, right?"

"Of course I do!"

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

"…You don't know the way back to Yuka's hut, do you?"

The Namek sweatdropped as the older human girl glared at him disapprovingly. "Whatever makes you say that?" he asked nervously.

"Well," Hideaki said as-a-matter-of-factly, "you sort of looked lost when we came back to the village, and you scratched your head for a really long time before you randomly checked the last four huts. Three of them were storage, thank the gods, but you scared the shit out of that old elder. I don't think he bought the bit about us being _ghosts_, oh wise green one."

Kargo's sweatdrop became larger. "Hey! It's not my fault all of the huts look exactly the same!"

"Ha!" Hideaki snorted in a way that eerily reminded Kargo of her brother. "Was this your plan? Just walk up to any old hut—" Hideaki marched towards the nearest hut "—mothra in like we own the place—" she walked into the dark and thankfully empty hut "—and find the scrolls like they're waiting for us? Don't be ridiculous!"

Kargo stomped into the hut behind her, ready to argue, when he stopped. His eyes widened to the size of dinner plates when he saw what hung on the walls. "H-h-hideaki…look…"

"I mean really," Hideaki continued, oblivious to the Namek's sudden state of shock, "what are the odds? A billion to one? You've had some crazy ideas before, but this is just too—hey! What the hell?"

Kargo grabbed Hideaki's head and forced it into one direction, holding it there with strength the human girl wasn't even able to fathom. She struggled for a minute, until her eyes fell on the parchments. "Oh my gods…"

"You know," the Namek remarked, as he continued to hold her head, "you should practice sarcasm more often. Your remarks seem to come true, even though they completely contradict your true purpose."

The older girl glared at him. "…Shut up."

"But take a look at this," Kargo said as his eyes roamed over the parchments. "This scroll, right here—" he fingered one particularly long and ripped document "—look at the state this one is in. It looks like it's been torn in several places, and there's this really weird rip at the middle..."

"Really? Let me see…" Hideaki pulled away from Kargo's loosened hold, and carefully pulled the old parchment off of the wall. She read it for a few moments, before frowning.

"What is it?" Kargo asked.

"This is really strange. See this?" Hideaki held the parchment in front of Kargo. "Each entry is dated. Now, the second entry from the top is dated about a hundred years ago, and it has the first mention of Gohan the Third…who was unfortunately, an idiot," Hideaki added as she read the entry.

"We kinda knew that," Kargo said. "But what's so strange about it?"

"Well, from the other parchments, Akiko wrote an entry at least twice a day. But look at the dates above and below that freakishly large fold in the parchment. See anything out of place?"

Kargo glanced at the writings, confused, before his eyes widened. He stared at Hideaki, his mouth dropping. "Hideaki…"

"Yup. There's about three consecutive days missing from the parchment…the three days before Gohan the Third was supposed to marry Akiko!"

The Namek looked at the parchment in shock. "Then that means _anything_ could have happened!"

"Exactly," Hideaki agreed, nodding. "From the state this paper is in, I'd say that someone ripped out the three journal entries, and repaired it so that the rips just look like freakishly large folds." She looked around, and stopped at another scroll. "Look! This scroll had parts of it ripped out too!"

"But who would have done that? And where are the entries, then?"

"I don't know…"

"Ahem?"

Hideaki and Kargo nearly jumped out of their skins when they heard someone clear his throat behind them, and Kargo instinctively formed a yellow ki ball in his hand as he turned around…to find the timid priest, shaking like a leaf at the sight of the ball of energy in the Namek's hand.

"P-please don't kill me!" Kai cried, dropping to his knees. "I-I was just wondering why there were people inside my l-lovely wife's hut! Please don't send me to the Gate of Death! I don't wanna die!"

At this point, Kai began to wail so pathetically that Hideaki marched up to him and clamped a hand firmly over his mouth, effectively silencing him. When Kai stopped crying, and looked up to Hideaki, she gave him a hard look, and began to speak in a quiet, steel-like voice.

"Look," she said, "no one is going to kill you." She gave Kargo a glance as she said this, and the Namek immediately put out the ki ball. "Now, if you cooperate, and tell absolutely _no one_ of us being here, then we can all move on with our happy, perky little lives. Deal?"

Kai blinked for a moment, before he nodded. When Hideaki let go of him, he sniffed, and looked down. "Forgive me," he whispered. "Living with Yuka tends to put a strain on the nerves." He looked up, and gave each of them a confused look. "But really…why are you inspecting the scrolls?"

Hideaki and Kargo quickly exchanged nervous glances, before they both laughed unconvincingly. "What makes you say that?" Kargo laughed, his eye twitching periodically. "We were just looking around—"

"I heard most of your conversation," Kai cut in.

"Crap," Kargo muttered. A serious look came across his face, and he gazed unfathomably at the timid priest. "Then we have no choice. We must kill you and bury your body in a secret location where the maggots will feast upon your flesh—OW!" The Namek rubbed the lump on his head as Hideaki shook her stinging hand, and tossed an apologetic look towards the now neurotic priest.

"Ignore him," the older girl said, laughing nervously. "He's just joking."

"Uh…huh." All of the blood was drained from Kai's face. "R-right…" He shook his head for a moment, and gulped nervously. "Please stop searching," he asked shakily.

"Hmm?"

"Stop inspecting Akiko's scrolls."

"_What_?" Kargo stared at the priest in disbelief. "Why, for the love of the gods?"

"Because…because those scrolls do not hold the complete truth. They only contain half-truths."

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

_Shake, shake. Shake, shake. _

Sachiko groaned softly. Someone was shaking her. It was annoying.

_Shake, shake. Shake, shake._

She wanted it to stop. It couldn't be time to get up already...she only just closed her eyes.

"Miko Muzai? Miko Muzai! Wake up!"

Moaning, she forced her eyes open. Slowly, her vision focused, and she saw the worried face of the black twin peering down at her. She blinked as a squirrel scurried past her, brushing by her arm as it raced towards the herb gardens. They were outside…and she was sitting under a tree.

Wait a minute…what was that twin doing out of _bed_?

"Miko Muzai! You're alright!" The black twin grinned, before he clutched his stomach. "Forgive me, but I must go to the bathroom…be right back!" With that, the twin ran off into the bushes, his pants slipping down over his buttocks as he ran. Sachiko stared after him, confused, before she gasped and hurriedly tucked her tail back inside her pants. Even in _her_ village, she didn't show her tail to the villagers, save the elders. Her grandfather had often told her to just chop the darn thing off, but she couldn't bring herself to do it. It was a part of her, like it was a part of her ancestor.

_Ow_.

Sachiko stretched her back, which cracked unpleasantly. Sleeping under a tree was not the choice of rest. Curses, she had gotten used to the city beds…she would have to scold Jiro for spoiling her.

She got up unsteadily, and walked towards the herb gardens, hoping to see Kargo and Hideaki again, but was greeted only by the Healer as he picked up several cabbages.

"Good morning, child," the old man greeted respectfully. "I see your patient is already out of bed. You are truly an excellent healer."

Sachiko smiled, blushing with pleasure. "Thank you," she replied, bowing to the elder. "But he should rest until his stomach is cleaned out. There's still so much he needs to do."

"Don't worry. I'll see to it that he rests. By the way," the Healer added, raising a brow, "have you spoken to Ayu last night?"

The small girl gasped, and lowered her head. "H-have you heard?"

"Bits and pieces. But child…you two are in a competition. Why are you helping Ayu, your competitor?"

"Well…" Sachiko bit her lip.

"Ayu has already come to me to change her remedy. I noticed that she did this with the _sourest_ look on her face, but…something you said touched her, child, and she doesn't want to admit it. She's very prideful, she is." The Healer thought for a moment, before sighing. "I suppose that's why she's not very good at healing…"

"The boys have parasites in their tummy, honored elder," Sachiko said quietly. "They were both already very weak. Honestly, I don't like competitions where there are ill people's lives at stake."

"Hmm."

There was a rustle in the bushes, followed by a loud shriek that could only have been made from the black twin. "OH MY GODS! WHAT ARE THOSE THINGS? THEY'RE MOVING IN MY POOP! _MOVING, I SAY!_"

Both Sachiko and the Healer sweatdropped. "I guess…I should tell him," she mumbled.

"I recommend that you do, child," the Healer replied as they watched the twin stumble back towards the hut in pure terror.

Behind a nearby tree, Daisy stuck her head out and smirked, before running back towards the village.

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

Outside the hut, Ayu's lips twisted bitterly as she mixed the herbs together.

_Damn it_, her mind hissed. _The little minx was right. It wasn't just a stupid stomachache…and now she's ahead of me! I HATE THAT!_

She screamed in frustration when one of the green-hulled black walnuts cracked in her hands. Curse that kid! Curse the Muzais! They just brought even _more_ bad luck to her ruined family!

"Like, hey _miko_."

_Ah, shit._

Ayu slowly turned her head away from the fire, and caught sight of the most annoying of the three redheads—Rosa. In her hands was a worn, chewed-up leash, which she used to yank the undoubtedly pissed off Jiro by the neck.

Despite herself, Ayu blushed lightly at the sight of the boy in his tight, shiny clothes. Miko or not, even a blind person could see that Jiro Kutai was undeniably attractive…until he opened his mouth. A frown made its way through her face as she remembered him cursing at her during the archery round. Never had she heard so many profanities from one person.

She shook her head of those thoughts, and stood up, dusting her hands off. "What do you want?" she asked. "I'm _busy_, if you can't see that." She noticed red lipstick marks all over the boy's face, which held a look of absolute anger and disgust.

"Like, I heard from a totally reliable source that you need help in the medicine part," Rosa said. She yanked the leash around Jiro's neck, and the boy growled, his hands clenching into fists. Ayu doubted that the boy had much sanity left.

"So what?" Ayu replied, glancing back at her boiling herbs. "If I fail, I'll just beat her at the fighting round."

Rosa's green eyes shined. "How about some, like, _insurance_?" She held out two white pills, both placed in the palm of her hand. Ayu blinked at the tablets.

"What are those?" she asked. "I've never seen them in the village before."

"Like, duh," Rosa huffed. "This is, like, _modern_ medicine. Now, if the guy has, like, worms in his stomach, grind these up and mix it with your stuff. He'll totally be cured, and you'll beat that little brat."

"Shut up, Rosa!" Jiro yelled, only to be yanked around his already red neck.

Ayu winced at the scene, before she stared at the pills uncertainly. "I don't know about this. This isn't right."

"Like, do you have a choice? I saw the twin that the feudal twat was helping. He's totally doing better than your guy." Rosa took Ayu's hand and forced the miko to take the pills. "It's totally the only way to win," Rosa said. "So be a good little village commoner and, like, give the guy his pills. Come on, Jiji-kun!" Ignoring Ayu's insulted look, Rosa pulled the boy forcefully, and he glared at her with hate before trudging along. Before he was out of earshot, Ayu heard him snarl something venomously.

"Cheating bitches."

The miko gulped, before she stared once again at the pills. If she gave these to the white twin, he could be cured instantaneously. She would most certainly win. But this wasn't honorable.

A flash of white caught her eye, and she froze. Her mother was coming! Quickly, she clenched her hands into fists and put them at her sides as Yuka made her way over to her.

"Hello Okaasan," Ayu greeted politely, bowing as her mother approached. Yuka nodded, before she turned her head in the direction Rosa left.

"What was that foolish city girl doing here?" Yuka asked, her eyes narrowing in dislike. "Was she trying to tell you how _wonderful_ her polluted cities are?"

"No, Okaasan. Don't say such things. Even if she did try to impose her ways on me, I would never allow myself to fall into her trap of materialism and greed. You've taught me better than that."

Yuka smiled, and gently touched her daughter's face. "Such a good girl," she said softly, before her face hardened. "Ayu, listen to me. You're a sharp girl; I'm sure you've noticed an increase in the number of sentinel archers around the village."

"Um…" The miko thought for a moment, before nodding.

"From what the blue-haired scientist has told the Healer, there have been several attacks on villages near the cities. That is why the miko of Amaterasu is so far away from her shrine. There is no one left for her."

Ayu's eyes widened. "Then…she's been alone all this time?"

"That is not the point," Yuka snapped. "We do not concern ourselves with worshippers of Amaterasu. You know that."

"Forgive me."

"Because the fools in red haven't mentioned this to me, I do not trust them. I suspect an attack soon. Know that if something should happen in the village…and if something should happen to _me_…"

"Don't say things like that!" Ayu cried.

The head priestess's lips thinned. "Control yourself, Ayu. You know what to do."

Ayu bit her lip, but she forced herself to nod. "Yes, Okaasan."

"Good. Best of luck to you in this round child. I know you will win with honor." Yuka patted Ayu on the cheek, before she turned and left, her white robes sweeping behind her.

When Ayu was sure that Yuka was gone, she unclenched her fists and stared at the pills. _Honor. I know you will win with honor._ The way to win with honor was to do things the right way. Ayu only thought for one more moment, before she threw the pills to the ground, and stomped on them.

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

"Where are we going?" Kargo asked as the timid priest led them across the river. The Namek hopped from one stone to the next with ease, while Hideaki fell slightly behind, trying not to get her feet wet. The timid priest sighed, before he made it to the other bank.

"You must understand," Kai said quietly. "What happened between Akiko and Gohan the Third was not only disgraceful, but it was very, very unsettling for those who live the way of the Feudal Era. From what the Healer has told me, some members of Akiko's family committed suicide just from the shame."

"But people sleep together all the time in the cities," Hideaki said, as she finally reached the bank. "It's not that big a deal."

"A miko must be pure of body so that she can understand and deliver the will of the gods," Kai explained patiently. "Even if she marries, she must give up the miko status if she had not been declared a head priestess. They value purity _that_ much."

"So…if she wants to stay in the shrine, she has to wait to become a head priestess before she marries?" Hideaki raised a brow at Kargo. "Can you really wait that long for Sachiko?"

"S-shut up!" Kargo cried, blushing.

Kai gave them a curious look, but didn't comment. Instead, he headed towards a large oak tree that stood in the middle of a clearing. He touched the truck for a moment, sighing, before he bent down and stuck his hand into a small hole near the bottom. He rummaged for a while, before he pulled out a rusty, dirty metal box.

"What's that?" Hideaki asked as the timid priest blew some soil off of the cover. The priest sighed again, before he opened the box.

"This," he said, as he pulled out several bits of parchment and an envelope, "is what really happened. Are you prepared for what you might read? HEY!" Kai yelped as Kargo snatched the papers from his hands. "Be careful with that! My ancestors have kept that hidden for over a hundred years!"

The Namek wasn't listening. His eyes sped through the entries like lightning (he shivered for a moment at the thought of his phobia), as Hideaki opened the envelope and read the letter, which was written in childlike handwriting.

Neither one of them were prepared for what was written on the century-year-old papers.

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

**Sachiko: This isn't over yet! It's just taking way longer than expected, and you know about TURMOIL's fourteen-page limit…The next chapter is coming SOON! Please be patient! (Bows respectfully)**

**Read and review.**


	25. Simple Answers for Silent Shame

Disclaimer: I don't own anything other than the Sachiko, Kargo, and Jiro dolls I made myself. No, you can't have them! They're MINE!

A/N: The miko challenge was only supposed to be three chapters…and it ended up becoming SIX! I am so sorry, everyone…and even though this chapter is long, I swore to myself I would finish this right here and now!

Um…later parts may seem a bit…well, violent themed. Please comment on them, and post your thoughts.

Enjoy the conclusion of the miko challenge.

_**Chapter Twenty-Five: Simple Answers for Silent Shame**_

"NO! YOU CAN'T TELL THEM!"

The priest clung desperately to Kargo's arm, trying to hold the Namek back as he and Hideaki stomped towards the village. Kai had tried to dig his feet into the ground, in an effort to stop them, but he just ended up getting dragged by the astoundingly powerful green boy.

"Please! You CAN'T tell my wife and daughter! This will destroy whatever dignity they have left!"

Kargo stopped suddenly, and shook the timid priest off of his arm. "_Their_ dignity?" he whispered softly. "My best friend lost her entire family. My best friend has been insulted numerous times for something she had no part in. My best friend was the one on the verge of collapsing from exhaustion yesterday, to care for some bastard she doesn't even know, and you're more worried about _their_ dignity?" Kargo turned his head towards the timid priest, and bared his fangs. "You call yourself a _priest_?"

"Kargo…that's enough." Hideaki tried to touch the Namek's shoulder, but he shrugged her hand off.

"Your family is based on a lie!" Kargo snarled, advancing on Kai. The priest paled and backed himself against a tree, whimpering and shaking his head. "This whole crap about honor…that's nothing but a goddamn, fucking _lie_! Your family is riddled with dishonor—_and you're no better_!"

Kai yelped as Kargo threw the parchments and envelope at his face. He covered his head, waiting for the blow that was sure to come.

It never came.

The timid priest lowered his arms and opened his eyes to find the Namek with his back to him, his fists clenched painfully at his sides. Hideaki paused, before she went over to the priest and helped him up.

"Why?" Kargo asked suddenly, still not looking at him. "Why was this kept secret from the women? What the hell do you gain from their ignorance?"

The priest leaned against the tree, his legs still shaking. He took a deep breath to calm himself, before he spoke. "The husband of Akiko…wanted to salvage her honor. He was a warrior, and he felt that the family honor could be regained if the events slowly disappeared over time. But…the women had to be convinced that they were doing this for justice. They were not told the truth because they had to believe that they could regain what was lost—"

"—by destroying another family?" Kargo spat, turning to the priest with a hateful gaze.

"It was the only way!" Kai pleaded. "Akiko and her husband worried about their children committing suicide from the shame. This was the only way to get them to _fight_ for life!"

"But it wasn't Gohan's fault!" Hideaki cried suddenly. "He was no smarter than a child! How could Akiko even _think_ about blaming him? And why are _you_ hiding these documents? Wouldn't it have been easier to destroy them?"

"Akiko and her husband _did_ want to destroy them. But one of their friends, _my_ ancestor, secretly kept them. He was one of the few who knew the real truth, and he felt that erasing what really happened would have been a crime to _Gohan's_ family." Kai stared at the parchments on the ground, and hung his head. "The location of the scrolls was passed down in my family, and we, as keepers, have all read it at least once. This way, at least one person in the village would know the truth."

"And yet somehow, you ended up marrying Yuka," Hideaki commented dryly. "How cynically ironic." Kai flushed, and looked away. "So…if your descendants have to learn the truth, then won't you have to tell _Ayu_ eventually? I mean, she _is _your daughter…unless you have more children we don't know about?"

At that point, all of the color in Kai's face vanished.

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

_Please, kill me. Or better yet, kill her._

Leash off and still dressed in his whore clothes, a muscle in Jiro's jaw worked furiously as Rosa sat on his lap, batting her one-hundred-percent _fake_ eyelashes. Illuminated by the setting sun, Jiro thought that, in all her pathetic red glory, she looked like a succubus reject from the depths of the netherworld.

_That's what she is_, Jiro thought bitterly. _This bitch is just going to keep sucking, sucking, sucking away at my blood and life until she drags me back to Hell with her, and there's nothing I can do about it._

He had been losing his mind during the last couple of days. Prior to surrendering himself to Rosa, he had felt this strange sort of contentment, possibly from being exposed to Sachiko's almost unending sweetness, and by having satisfying verbal arguments with the freak. Before he met those two, he had never truly been _satisfied_ with anything, what with his overworking sister, his overfloaty father, and his overbearing mother. Now that he had two fighter companions (who were completely uninterested in his money) to keep him company, he had almost felt…happy.

He jerked himself out of his thoughts, and looked at the girl fawning all over his lap. He couldn't believe this was the one his mother wanted him to marry.

_Goddamn fucking slut. I should have strangled you the moment I met you—HOLY SHIT!_

Jiro yelped when he felt Rosa's hands roam over his chest, and immediately pushed her off him, making her land on the floor with a disgraceful _thud_.

"OW!" she cried, rubbing her bottom as Jiro forced himself to not rip out her throat. Gods, he was starting to hate the sound of her fucking voice. "Like, what was _that_ for, Jiji-kun? I was totally starting to have fun!"

"We had _fun_ all day yesterday," Jiro spat, his eye twitching as he remembered the long, agonizing hours of being forced to make-out with Rosa. "I'm fucking _spent_, Rosa. I'm not a goddamn machine!"

"Hmph! If I, like, remember, _slave_, you don't have a choice in the matter!" Rosa held up the red Vidwatch tauntingly in front of his face. "Remember, one press of a button is all I totally need to have Mrs. Kutai running over here! Then you'll, like, totally have no choice but to come with me, and that stupid little miko bitch is totally gonna get it! Is that, like, worth it, Jiji-kun? Is it?"

Despite himself, a low growl escaped his lips. _How dare she…_"Damn it, Rosa…if you insult Sachiko again…" His hands clenched angrily at his sides. _One more insult, and I won't be fucking responsible for my actions._

"What?" Rosa shot back, her green eyes flashing with jealousy. "Like, call her a bitch? Why are you even protecting her, Jiji-kun? She's, like, from the stupid villages! We're from, like, the cities! She's just low-class trash!"

That did it.

Jiro didn't even bother to respond. His eyes were fixated on Rosa's neck, and his anger-fogged brain was slowly overcoming his judgment. He took a step towards Rosa.

"Jiji-kun?" The redhead took a nervous step back, the haughty look gone now. "L-like, what are you doing? Stay back!"

"What's the matter?" Jiro hissed, his teeth bared in a horrible smile. "I thought you _wanted _me near you." He backed Rosa into a wall, and quickly grabbed her by the shoulders, his hands dangerously close to her neck. Gods, he wanted to do it. He just wanted to choke the life out of that repulsive face of hers. He could do it quickly…no one would know…

Then, a picture of Sachiko and Hideaki's mortified faces loomed in his brain…the older looking at him in disgust and horror, the younger backing away from him as he tried to explain…backing away right into the freak's arms…

_No. I can't do it…_His hands moved away from Rosa's neck, and fell limply at his sides.

Rosa saw his softening gaze, and took her chance. She quickly aimed a slap at his face, but was shocked when Jiro grabbed Rosa's wrist as her hand flew towards him. His anger returning, he grinned wickedly as he realized it was the wrist that had the Vidwatch.

"Let go!" Rosa cried, trying to free her captive wrist. "Like, damn it! I'll break off the engagement if you don't totally don't stop!"

"Oh, please do," Jiro sneered, his grip becoming tighter and tighter. "That would be the best thing you've ever done for me, Rosa _dear_." His grip then became so tight that there was a sharp _crack_, followed by a shriek as Rosa finally tore her wrist away from Jiro.

"My Vidwatch!" she cried. "Like, it's totally broken, you _jerk_! How am I supposed to get home now? This is, like, totally your fault! I'll tell my father!"

Jiro chuckled darkly, creating a look of panic on Rosa's face. Never in her life had she seen him act this way. "You think I'm scared?" he whispered. "You think I'm scared of you, or your asshole father? Besides—" Jiro gave her a cruel smirk "—your father won't know if you don't contact him…your father won't know if he can't find you."

Rosa's face became a look of absolute terror. She opened her mouth to scream, but before she could make a sound, Jiro knocked her out with a quick chop to the head. He smirked as she crumpled to the ground.

"Like, Rosa? Rosa, are you in here?"

Lily and Daisy quickly stepped into the hut, only to gasp when they saw Jiro standing over an unconscious Rosa. "Like, Jiro! What have you done!" Daisy and Lily cried, rushing towards Rosa. Jiro didn't answer as he quickly aimed two small knockout ki blasts to their heads.

_Nighty-night bitches…_

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

Sachiko smiled as the black twin drank all of the medicine without her help. When he finished, he smacked his lips and complimented her on her ingenious idea of adding peppermint leaves.

"Makes it taste better!" he said cheerfully, setting the white bowl on the ground. He laughed, before a loud grumble erupted from his stomach. The black twin's eyes widened, and he clutched at his lower abdomen. "Bathroom!" he cried, and nearly knocked her over as he stumbled out of the hut, towards the bushes.

Sachiko giggled, and resumed eating her dinner of fish soup and rice. She was halfway through her sixth bowl when the white twin groaned from his pallet.

"How come my brother's already better?" he complained to Ayu, who was spooning a bowl of dark liquid into his mouth. "Why is this taking so long?"

"Please just take your medicine," Ayu growled through gritted teeth. "I am not in the mood for that tongue of yours tonight." The white twin quieted down, and Ayu shoved another spoonful of medicine in his mouth before setting the bowl down. "Stop staring at me," Ayu snapped, not even turning to Sachiko's direction. "It's rude."

The younger miko eeped and turned her attention back to her dinner. Or tried to. She ate at a slower pace, sneaking glances at the angrier-than-usual miko. It seemed as if the older girl wanted to say something…and punch something at the same time.

That was just downright scary for Sachiko.

"Come outside," Ayu said suddenly. Sachiko nearly choked on her soup, and stared at the older miko incredulously. Ayu saw this, and frowned. "Did I stutter, girl? I said come outside!"

Jumping up so quickly that she nearly knocked over her other five bowls of soup, Sachiko ran outside the hut, as Ayu slowly followed.

"Don't run," Ayu snapped. "It's a calm night—you'll overexert yourself again, like yesterday."

"Oh." Sachiko stopped. Did Ayu just express…_concern_ for her? "Sorry."

At a slower pace, they walked all the way to the herb gardens, the full moon completely covered by clouds. They had reached the pumpkin patches before Ayu told her to stop.

For a moment there was thick, tense silence, with the exception of the groans the black twin made as he made bowel movements in the bushes.

"I appreciate your assistance," Ayu said finally, her voice gruff. "I rechecked my patient, and it seems that my first diagnosis was incorrect. I…I _thank_ you." Ayu stared at the ground as she said this, her face contorted as if all this took a great deal of effort. She looked up, and faced Sachiko directly. "Given this fact, and the fact that your patient seems to be improving at a greater rate than mine—" Ayu's eye twitched as the black twin farted in the distance "—I concede the second round to you. You are the medicinal superior, and I know when I am beaten."

Sachiko blinked. Ayu's speech of concession had reduced her mind to one thought.

_Huh?_

Applause suddenly rang out from behind them, and both Sachiko and Ayu jumped. They whirled around, and saw the Healer standing behind them, clapping enthusiastically as he balanced a basket of cabbages on his head.

"A wise decision, miko Ayu," the old man said. He peered at Ayu's stony face, and chuckled. "Don't worry, girl. When Yuka arrives in the morning, I'll just say _I_ chose the winner already."

Ayu's face softened slightly. "That's good," she said in relief.

"Even though you were never one of my most attentive students, you always did know when enough was enough. That, at least, is a good thing." The Healer reached into his basket and pulled out one of the cabbage leaves, chewing it meditatively.

The older miko snorted, and looked away. "Medicine isn't my thing," she mumbled. She then turned to Sachiko with a fierce, determined look. "Make no mistake, Muzai. I may not be a healer, but I am definitely a fighter. Prepare to lose tomorrow."

Sachiko frowned, and crossed her arms. "Can't we just wish each other good luck? Or better yet, stop the challenge now? I really don't want to fight you…"

"Ha!" Ayu smirked. "You're just afraid I'll beat you. Well, forget it! When I said I would regain my honor, I meant it! Good night, kid." Ayu paused for a moment, before she gave Sachiko a small smile and headed towards the village.

Sachiko watched her go with a look of absolute confusion as she scratched her head.. Didn't Ayu hate her? Why was the older girl being so nice? Or did she just imagine the whole thing? Was she just going insane?

"You should go rest, child," The Healer said gently, mistaking Sachiko's confused look of contemplation for a look of duress. "I've set up another pallet in one of my spare huts. You don't need to take care of those boys, now that Ayu has conceded."

Sachiko nodded as another fart rang through the air, followed by the black twin's groans of disgust. She grinned, and was about to follow the old man into the gardens when out of nowhere, someone grabbed her roughly from behind.

"EEEEEK!"

"Sssshhhh!" Sachiko felt—and saw—a green hand clamp over her mouth. An arm snaked around her waist, stilling her, and she heard a voice hiss, "Sachi-chan, it's _me_! And be quiet, will you? I'm technically not supposed to be here right now…"

"Mphhug!" Sachiko mumbled through the hand, and hugged the arms holding her. Her green captor chuckled, and removed his hand so that he could embrace her fully. "You're not grumpy anymore, Kargo-kun!" Sachiko squealed. "Happy I am!"

"What's going on, miko Muzai?" the Healer yelled in the distance. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine!" Sachiko yelled back, her tone now five times more cheerful. "I'll be right there, so don't worry about anything! Everything's okay again! Teeheeheehee!" Sachiko erupted into a series of giggles, which caused the Namek to sweatdrop slightly.

"I guess that means you forgive me," Kargo muttered, still holding her close. "Look, I _wanted_ to be there during the archery round, and I came as fast as I could after the rain stopped—"

"Kargo!" Sachiko squirmed and twisted in his arms until she was facing him, and grinned. "You don't have to apologize! I know you don't like lightning. Besides, Jiro did a good job of cursing Ayu for the both of you."

The Namek's eye twitched slightly at the mention of the human teen. "Oh really?" he said casually as he released Sachiko, forcing a horribly fake smile on his face. "That was very…conventionally supportive of him." He widened the fake smile, but internally he was screaming. _Why that no good bum! He was probably trying to impress Sachi-chan! And it's WORKING!_

"Kargo?" Sachiko asked, jerking the Namek out of his jealous thoughts. "Um…what does, uh, con-ven-tee-ally mean?"

"You mean _conventionally_. It means unoriginal. He curses all the time, so him using curses as a method of support is expected, and…well…frankly unoriginal."

Sachiko blinked. "Um…okay. But anyway, I didn't like it that much."

"Really?" Kargo asked, perking up.

"Of course not! Swearing is a horrible thing! I should wash his mouth out with soap…" Sachiko wrinkled her nose, causing the Namek to chuckle, before she gave him a slightly worried look. "But…Kargo-kun…Jiro's doing okay, right? I mean, those girls haven't hurt him too much, have they?"

The perk vanished, and Kargo felt his lips thin until it was nothing more than a sour line. "Why do you _care_?" he asked, his voice tinged with bitterness.

"He's our friend!" Sachiko replied, as if that was the most obvious thing in the world. "We have to care!"

"No, he's _your_ friend. To me, he's a total pain in the—"

Sachiko hurriedly coughed, blocking out the last part of the sentence. "Uh, never mind, Kargo. Forget I said anything, okay?" She stopped, and looked around. "Where's Hideaki-chan?"

"Her?" Kargo blinked for a moment, before he shrugged. "She's at the village, in one of the spare huts. I think she may be trying to save Jiro or something…I don't care."

"Oh. T-that's…oh."

Sachiko's face had fallen slightly from his uncaring tone, and Kargo felt a twinge of guilt. "Don't worry," he said quickly. "She had to talk to Kai. They'll probably save rich boy. The three of them will probably come altogether in the morning when the winner is announced."

"The winner?" Sachiko thought for a moment, before she smiled. "Oh, don't worry about that! The winner is already chosen for this round!"

"Huh?"

"Ayu conceded," Sachiko explained. "She said I was the better healer, and that she knew when to give up."

"Really? That's great! Strange of her, but that's great!"

"But," Sachiko continued as she bit her lip, "she also said that she was a really good fighter and that I was just too scared to fight her, and that when she said she would regain her honor, she meant it, and that I should prepare to lose and, and, and—Mmmph!"

Kargo quickly covered Sachiko's mouth with his hand again. "Sachi-chan…you're not going to lose."

"But, she told me…that…" Sachiko faltered off as she watched Kargo's gaze become deadly serious, and fell silent altogether when his eyes narrowed.

"Forget what _she_ told you. _I_ have to tell you something. I'll eventually tell this to Ayu and her bitch of a mother too—"

"Kargo!" Sachiko yelped.

"—but," the Namek went on, "seeing as you're the one getting nervous…well, just listen, okay?" Kargo bent down and whispered into her ear, pausing every few moments to look up to see if anyone was approaching them. Sachiko, on her part, listened carefully and nodded every time he whispered a new piece of information. As he progressed, her eyes became wider and wider, until they seemed to take up the entire top half of her face.

"Oh my…oh my…Kargo-kun, are you serious? Uh-huh…NO! Oh, sweet mother of Amaterasu, NO! That_ can't _be true!"

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

There was one thing Piccolo liked about caves. There were always there when you needed them. Yawning loudly, the Namek sat up and stretched as the morning sun shone into the cavern that served as his temporary home.

After the incident at Crystal Caves, he had followed the children and young woman in the air, making sure at all times to hide his ki and stay at least eighty-feet away from them, so as to not stray into their line of sight. For a few days, this had worked out well.

And then the blasted storms had come.

As strong as he was, even _his_ regenerative system wouldn't hold out against a direct lightning strike. He descended immediately to the ground and had sought shelter in various caves, moving when the storms stilled and seeking rest when the rains fell again. Unfortunately, he ended up resting more than moving.

_I wonder how that fool son of mine is doing. Ah, he's with Sachiko. Why should I worry?_

He had wanted to take them before, when he saw Kargo and Sachiko fighting some strange man in a black trench coat. But he had seen them, huddled together, clutching at that strange orange orb…both with looks of utmost desperation on their faces. He couldn't bring himself to take them. He left them to their journey.

…_you'll get your friends back, as well as have Kargo's gratitude for letting him do this…_

Darn that human girl. She was as annoying as Goushi and Taka. _Taka…_

Piccolo shook his head, trying to force the thoughts out. He needed to focus. Meditate. Beat something up. Anything to stop himself from thinking of the Muzai family.

Suddenly, he felt a strange presence in the distance. Sticking his head out into the open, he focused, trying to sense where the life was coming from. He shut his eyes for a moment, before they flew open again.

There were several young men in the distance…and their ki signatures felt very familiar.

Running out of the cave, he leapt into the air, flying at top speed towards the energy signal. _Those bastards. What in the name of the gods are those soulless boys doing out here?_

It didn't take him long to get the young men into his sight. With his vision, Piccolo could see that the two men dressed and looked similar to the men that had attacked the Amaterasu village…and at the moment, these two were all huddled around a broken down van, trying to fix the smoking engine.

As he flew closer, he could hear bits and pieces of their conversation.

"_Hey man, what's taking so long…others are already close…"_

Piccolo stopped flying and lowered himself behind a tree, hiding himself. He wanted to hear more of this.

"_Shut your mouth…not our problem…don't know why they want…just some stupid village…"_

Piccolo's eyes widened. _Village?_

"_Wasn't at that last village…Boss said not to miss…pay's gonna get docked if we do…"_

Piccolo had heard enough. Stepping out of his hiding place, he charged at the young men so rapidly that neither of them knew what hit them. Piccolo quickly stole their guns and crushed them, rendering them vulnerable. Then, he quickly grabbed one of the men and pinned the human's arms behind his back, while using his free hand to clutch at the man's neck.

The second man stood in horror as he watched his friend get taken hostage by the green alien, and panicked when Piccolo turned his attention towards him.

"Where are you two headed?" Piccolo growled, his nails lengthening and growing sharper by the second. "Who are you looking for?"

"W-we're headed for the Shimane Prefecture," the second man stammered, pointing towards the south. His eyes widened as he watched his friend gasp for air. "T-there are villages there. W-we just got orders—"

"From _who_?" Piccolo snapped. His nails were now so long and sharp that they were digging into his captive's neck, drawing blood. "Why are you attacking the villages? What are you looking for?"

"I—I—"

"Tell me NOW!"

His face now completely white, the second man fell to his knees. "Don't kill us! W-we're looking f-for—f-for—"

The second man suddenly choked in the middle of his sentence, and began to gasp, as if _he_ was the one being strangled, not his friend. Piccolo watched, in morbid horror, as the second man fell to the ground, clutching at his throat as his face slowly turned blue.

Suddenly, the man Piccolo was holding began to convulse wildly, and the Namek released him in shock as he too, fell to the ground gasping. Both men's eyes were bulging, becoming redder and redder, becoming bigger and bigger as they flailed and flopped on the ground, like they were dying fish.

He had no idea what to do. He tried to pull one to his feet, but the convulsions prevented him from getting a good hold on them. The men gasped and clawed at their throats, as if there was an invisible hand choking them…and then, as suddenly as it began, it stopped. The men's bodies just jerked, jerked, jerked, their faces now bloated and purple…and then it stopped. The movements halted, and ceased.

Piccolo just stared, open-mouthed at the men. He was unable to do anything but gape…but even if he had been able to move, he did not need to feel their pulse to know.

The men were no longer breathing. They were dead, and so were the secrets that they carried with them.

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

Kargo and Hideaki stared at the timid priest in frustration.

"You can't go through with this!" Hideaki shouted, waving her arms angrily. Kai desperately put a finger to his lips as he escorted them off of the arena, away from the questioning eyes of the early-arriving elders and men.

"What do you want me to do?" Kai asked pathetically. "I can't tell Yuka. She'll kill herself from the shame!"

"So you're just going to let Sachiko take all the blame?" Kargo snapped furiously. "You'd trade one life for another, without even batting an eye?"

Kai sighed, and buried his head in his hands. "I don't know. Do you think I _want_ this to happen to that poor child? I wish that she never even set foot into this village, if only to avoid Yuka's wrath!"

"What about _Ayu_?" Hideaki pointed out.

"I—I—I DON'T KNOW!"

Kargo and Hideaki watched impatiently as the priest sobbed quietly, before Kargo turned his back to the man. "Whatever," the Namek spat. "If you're not going to tell Ayu, then _I_ will. I'm not going to let Sachiko's head end up on the chopping block. She's innocent!" Kargo stomped away towards the herb gardens.

"N-no!"

The timid priest ran in front of Kargo, and blocked his path with his arms. "I won't let you do this!" he shouted. "I won't let you destroy my family! Yuka might not be the most compromising woman in the world, but I love her!"

"Oh yuck," Hideaki muttered.

"Eh?" Kargo stared at the priest in disbelief. "Since when did you grow a backbone? Move aside!"

"N-no!" Kai blocked Kargo again as the Namek tried to sidestep him, and shouted at the top of his lungs, "HOOLIGANS! These outsiders here are trying to sabotage the final round! HOOLIGANS!"

The elders and men looked up at Kai's rants. "Hooligans?" one of the men repeated. "We can't have that!"

"Let's get them!"

"Kargo!" Hideaki shouted. "Kargo, find Sachiko and Ayu! Tell them the truth! EEEEEEEK!" Hideaki shrieked as two of the elders grabbed her. "You senile old bats! Let go of me!"

Kargo panicked, and tried to bolt, but Kai quickly grabbed his legs, and sent him toppling to the ground. "Get the fuck off me!" Kargo yelled, but his cries were drowned out when the other men threw themselves on top of him, creating a huge "man-pile" that was too much even for the strong Namek to lift.

"Bastards!" Kargo shrieked. "You can't do this!"

Kai sighed, and gave Kargo a solemn look. "I'm afraid we just did." He turned to one of the men, and said, "Tie these two to the pole near the arena, and gag them. We'll have them watch the fight without interference as my daughter and miko Muzai battle it out _honorably_."

"You son-of-a-bitch!" Kargo screamed, before a gag was placed over his mouth. "Mmmm! MMMMMM!"

Kai paused, before he bent down and whispered into Kargo's ear…so quietly that the Namek was positive that no one else could hear the priest, even _with_ the man pile. "So far, what happened here is just between you, me, and the scientist…and it's going to stay that way."

The Namek glared icily at the priest. _That's what you think._

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

"Based on her superior progress with her patient, I have decided that miko Muzai's progress with her patient is deserving of an early victory…"

Sachiko sat underneath a tree as she watched the Healer talked to a disgruntled looking Yuka. Becoming unnerved at the head priestess's increasingly annoyed look, Sachiko picked at a small scab on her left knee, and tried not to listen.

She had long since changed back to her oversized white tee-shirt and green shorts, making sure her tail was wrapped around her waist _underneath_ her tee-shirt. Because of the upcoming fight, she wanted to be as comfortable as possible…even though she had absolutely no will to fight.

What Kargo told her…it couldn't be true. Ayu…Yuka…these prideful women, who were raised to believe they had been wronged…everything was a dirty lie, and they didn't know any better. They just _didn't know_!

"Muzai?"

"EEP!" Sachiko quickly turned to see Ayu, who was now wearing a smooth, silky, red-and-white Chinese-style top with black shorts that reached her knees. The older miko frowned at her, her eyes showing signs of worry.

"Are you alright?" Ayu asked, hands on hips. "You don't look well."

"I…" Sachiko paused. How could she fight Ayu, knowing the truth? Suddenly, the older miko thrusted a bowl into her face. Sachiko blinked, and peered inside—it was filled with fresh, cold water.

"Drink this. You should feel better. I don't want an opponent who's not feeling her physical best."

Sachiko smiled bleakly, and took a sip. "Thank you," she said when she finished. She set the bowl aside, and bit her lip. She had to tell her. "Ayu-san, there's something I have to tell you…"

"What is it?"

"Well…it's…it's…"

"Sachiko."

_Huh? I know that voice…_Sachiko turned around, and gasped at who she saw. "J-jiro! It's you!"

"Who else would it be?" he asked, smirking. Before she could say anything, he sat down next to her and punched her lightly on the cheek. "So…how was life without me in it? Boring, right?" He frowned when Ayu suddenly snorted and left in a huff, walking over to very, very displeased looking Yuka. Sachiko panicked, realizing she had just lost her opportunity.

_Fudgecakes! Now what am I supposed to do?_

"Hey, Sachiko!" Jiro's frustrated voice brought her back to reality. Sachiko quickly turned her gaze back to the older boy, who was crossing his arms and scowling. "You know, you could at least attempt to pay attention to me," he growled. "I mean, I _only_ just spent the last few days in _servitude_ to a goddamn witch, trying to protect you…and the dragonballs," he added hastily, before resuming his growl. "But obviously that doesn't mean anything to you…" He narrowed his eyes, his scowl deepening.

This didn't scare her. He looked so much like he did the day they first met that Sachiko couldn't help but _laugh_ at the sight. Smiling, she gave him a hug, feeling his body stiffen as she did. She half-expected the older boy to push her away as usual…but instead, he just sat there, not really accepting her embrace, but not completely resisting it, either.

_Strange…_

Sachiko pulled away and gave him an up-and-down stare, realizing that he was back in his loose black shirt and jeans. "Where's your shiny pants?" she asked innocently, trying to hide her disappointment of losing something so…well, shiny.

Jiro snorted—he hadn't caught her upset undertones. "They're with that bitch, Rosa, and her idiotic friends."

"Oh." Sachiko winced slightly at Jiro's swearing, but she couldn't say she was upset at the redhead's absence. That would be _lying_. "So…where's R-rosa?"

At this, Jiro gave her an evil smirk. "She's a bit too tired to do anything but sleep at the moment…"

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

"Zzzzzz…"

Rosa, Daisy, and Lily were all piled into unconscious heaps on the floor. Jiro had placed a small canister of sleeping gas near them, and the green wisps floated in the air…

"Zzzzzz…"

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

Sachiko cocked her head at his strange statement, but shrugged it off. "Okay, then. As long no one's hurt or anything…"

"So…who won the medicine round?" Jiro asked, staring at her uneasily. "Was it you? Please tell me it was you…" His face broke into a strange look of relief as Sachiko nodded.

"Ayu conceded," Sachiko said. "I'm the medicinal superior…or at least, that's what she said."

"Damn right…that cheating little bitch…"

"Huh?"

"Nothing." Jiro shifted his eyes away from her, not saying anything more.

Sachiko frowned, and was about to ask him to explain when suddenly, Yuka and Ayu reappeared in front of them. Despite herself, Sachiko had a strange urge to giggle at the look on Yuka's face. It was so _sour_…the urge quickly died when Yuka threw a dark look at her and Jiro.

_Why,_ Sachiko thought,_ do people always get mad whenever I hang around Jiro? Have I done something wrong?_

"Don't you two look _cozy_," Yuka remarked coldly, her hands tightening on the bow and bag of arrows she carried in her hands. Sachiko gulped, and inched slightly away from Jiro, putting some distance between them. She failed to notice the older boy's hurt look at this, but she did catch Yuka's icy smile. "That's better. I've been informed by the Healer that you are the winner of the medicinal round, yes?"

Sachiko nodded, as Ayu lowered her head.

"Very well then. Report to the village center. My husband is setting up the arena as we speak. Come along, Ayu." With that, Yuka swept away, with Ayu following close behind her.

"That Grade-A bitch," Jiro snarled the minute the women were out of earshot. Sachiko winced.

"Don't say that, Jiro…please."

"Why not? And why the heck did you move away from me? You don't have to listen to a crazy woman like her! We can sit together as long as we fucking want!"

Sachiko sighed. "It's more than that, Jiro. She's a head priestess. I'm just a miko."

"_So_?"

"Never mind." Sighing again, Sachiko got up, and headed towards the village. Jiro stared at her retreating back, his face slightly red from anger. Finally, he stood up and ran after her, shouting at her to wait for him.

He didn't notice that a gray squirrel with red-stained fur had jumped down from the tree onto the spot he had just been sitting on. The squirrel glared at him, gnashing its teeth, before he retreated back into the tree, where a brown female squirrel was waiting.

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

The sentinel archers looked around carefully.

For years, they had been trained to notice even the slightest movement in the scene before them. In their youth, their marksmanship was so fine that they could hit a fly from a distance of two hundred yards without blinking.

But unfortunately, they were all getting old. With age came the dullness in old techniques.

A sentinel blinked when the bushes rustled, but as he continued to stare, the movements stopped. The old archer stared at the bush for a moment longer before he shrugged, and turned back to his post.

A second later, a silent blast shot right through his heart.

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

"What the fuck is going on here?"

Jiro stared at the pole in shock, where the freak and Hideaki stood helplessly, their mouths covered in gags, their bodies wrapped in steel chains made by the village blacksmith…chains too powerful to physically break.

"Mmmph!" his sister and the freak yelled through the gag. "MMMPH!"

Growling, Jiro whirled on a particularly timid looking priest, and the man cowered slightly. "You! Explain why my sister and the freak are tied to the pole like criminals! And be quick about it!"

"A-as I've told miko Muzai…t-they were trying to s-sabotage the final round," the man stuttered, backing away from Jiro. "We tied them up s-so that they would cause any trouble…we'll release them after the r-round is over."

"Release them now! Wait…you can keep the green one, but release my sister, NOW!"

"MMMPH! MMMMMMMPH!" Kargo screamed, trying to get at Jiro. Jiro scowled, and held up a glowing hand. Kargo stared at his blue, ki glowing hand for a moment, before he stopped struggling.

_I hope you got the message, freak…_

"We can't release them," the timid priest said suddenly, breaking through Jiro's thoughts. "Please, just cooperate, and don't glare at us like miko Muzai tried to do…look! The fight is starting!"

Jiro turned towards the arena, where he saw Sachiko and Ayu walk towards the center of the ring. He frowned. Sachiko looked _far_ from happy, almost as if she didn't want to fight. _What's wrong, Sachiko?_

A gong suddenly rang out of nowhere, and Ayu quickly charged at the smaller girl, aiming a punch at her face. Sachiko dodged the punch and quickly grabbed the girl's wrist as it flew by. Jiro smirked; this was a perfect opportunity to counterattack.

But Sachiko didn't attack.

_What are you doing, Sachiko? Fight her!_

Sachiko was _talking_. Jiro's jaw dropped as he watched her lips move—she seemed to be pleading with Ayu. The older of the two girls them scowled, and used her other fist to aim another punch at Sachiko's face. Again, Sachiko caught the attack, but didn't do anything.

Then, he saw Ayu growl. Before he knew it, Ayu headbutted Sachiko straight on the forehead, causing the girl to yelp and release the other's fists. He saw Ayu then try to knee Sachiko in the stomach, but the small girl grabbed Ayu's leg and flung her away like she was nothing more than a gym bag.

_Sachiko's holding back_, Jiro realized, as he watched Ayu hit the tiles at the edge of the arena. Sachiko could have thrown the older girl clear out of the village if she wanted to, but didn't. _What the hell's going on here?_

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

Kargo's hand glowed with a soft yellow light as it touched the steel chains. The metal slowly began to hiss and melt, becoming progressively weaker as the seconds passed.

_Almost there…almost…got it!_

The Namek then pulled his wrists apart as the melted steel flew off of his body. Wasting no time, he yanked down his gag, and screamed, "Sachiko! TELL AYU THE TRUTH!"

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

_Kargo_?

Sachiko looked on with horror as the Namek was overtaken by several men. "What are you doing?" she screamed, running to the edge of the arena. "Leave him alone!" She yelped as she narrowly avoided a chop from Ayu, and spun around to meet the older girl's dark eyes.

"Worry about yourself!" Ayu yelled as she tried to punch her. Sachiko leaned away from the attack and dodge-rolled away from the edge of the ring, back to the center. "Damn you! Fight me, already!"

"Please, you have to listen to me!" Sachiko cried. "What Akiko wrote is not the whole truth! There's more to Gohan the Third than you know! He didn't deflower Akiko! She tricked him into deflowering her!"

"What in the name of the gods are you babbling about?"

"She _wanted_ him to do it! He didn't even know what deflowering is!" _Even I still don't know what that is_, Sachiko thought privately. "Don't you see? You're fighting for a LIE!"

Sachiko winced as she heard the village roar in outrage. _Oh boy, I've done it now…_

"WHAT?" Ayu yelled. " How DARE you accuse my ancestor of such a thing? There's nothing more than what my great-great grandmother wrote! You have my respect, miko Muzai, but I will not show you any more if you continue with this kind of crazy talk!"

Sachiko shrieked with frustration as she again evaded another kick from Ayu. What was she supposed to do? Ayu wouldn't listen!

"!"

A scream from the village outskirts made both girls freeze in their tracks. Slowly they, along with everyone else in the audience, turned to where a bloody, wounded sentinel archer was limping towards them, clutching at his bleeding chest. "R…run…" he whispered. "No one…left…" Then he fell to the ground, dead.

Suddenly, blasts of yellow and red began to shoot into the audience from the direction of the outskirts, and a woman screamed as one of the blasts hit her arm. Immediately, blood began to flow from the wound, and the crowd was thrown into a panic.

"Intruders!" Yuka yelled from her seat. "Intruders in the village! Warriors of Susanoo, assemble and protect the elders! Anyone who can wield a weapon, come with me!" Yuka grabbed her bow and arrows, and ran toward the now visible crowd of young men nearing the village center.

"Okaasan!" Ayu cried, and ran to the edge of the arena. "Okaasan, don't go!"

"C'mon!" Sachiko yelled, grabbing the older girl's arm. The men looked just like the ones who destroyed the Amaterasu villages…there was no way she would let _this_ village die like hers! "We have to help!"

"But…" Ayu stared at the ground outside the ring. "If we step off, we'll lose! No matter what the circumstance!"

Again, Sachiko let out a frustrated shriek, before she stepped out of the arena and pulled Ayu with her at the same time. Their feet simultaneously touched the ground, and Sachiko glared at the older miko. "There! Now we both lose! Now come on! The village needs us!"

With that, she pulled Ayu towards the center of the turmoil.

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

"Sachiko!"

Jiro ran after the small girl as he pushed past the panicking crowd. In the corner of his eye, he saw Kargo and Hideaki pull free from their restrains, the two having been forgotten in the panic.

Suddenly, a young man stepped in front of him, baring his teeth. "Give up now, kid," the man said nastily. "You don't want to be on the receiving end on this!" He pointed a gun at Jiro, who snarled, and grabbed the gun with ki glowing hands. Immediately the gun melted, and the man stared at him in shock before Jiro quickly aimed his knee at the man's groin. The man let out a high pitch squeak, and crumpled.

There was no time to celebrate, however. Jiro dodged another gunshot from a man behind him, and, smirking, sent a hot blue ball of ki towards the man's face. He heard a thud from behind him, and saw the freak standing over an unconscious man with a pissed off look.

"Nice job, freak!" Jiro shouted, as he slammed his fist into a young man's stomach.

"Thanks, rich boy!" Kargo shouted back as he swept another attacker off of his feet.

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

Hideaki forced herself to stay calm as she and the timid priest led the elders to the safety of the herb gardens. As she helped one particularly old man, she stopped and bent down, picking up a gun one of the attackers left behind.

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

Sachiko delivered a roundhouse kick to a particularly fat attacker's head as she and Ayu tried to reach Yuka. They saw the head priestess hiding behind a tree, peeking out every so often to shoot an arrow at the man currently attacking her.

"Okaasan!" Ayu screamed, and ran towards her mother blindly. Unfortunately, the attacker heard her, and immediately fired in her direction. Ayu stopped, like a deer caught in the headlights.

"NO!" Sachiko rushed forward and pushed Ayu to the side, saving the older miko, but she did not have time to get out of the way herself…

The red blast struck her straight in the left shoulder, just above her heart. Hot pain ran through her body as Sachiko screamed and clutched at her wound. Blood flowed so quickly that Sachiko was rapidly losing consciousness, and her vision began to blur. _It's worse than a ki blast_, Sachiko thought hazily. _Sweet mother of Amaterasu, who could even think about making weapons like these?_

She looked up, and saw the man readying himself to fire another blast. But before he could, an arrow went straight through his head. He stopped, his body quivering for a moment from the shock, before he fell forward.

"Ayu!" Yuka cried from her spot behind the tree. "What in the name of Lord Susanoo are you and miko Muzai doing here? Get to safety!"

"Okaasan!"

"NOW! I—"

Suddenly, time seemed to stop. Sachiko watched, with blurry-eyed horror, as a blast went straight through Yuka's middle. She faintly heard Ayu screaming as the head priestess fell on her knees, with blood flowing down her stomach...

_No._

Yuka's eyes became wide with shock, and her mouth opened, but no sounds came out. The beautiful priestess bent over, gasping…

_No!_

Was this how _her_ mother died? Was this what those men did to her? To Grandfather? Was this what they wanted to do to the villages, one by one, person by person, _until there was no one left_?

_NO!_

HOW DARE THEY! THE PREJUDICED BASTARDS! SHE WOULD MAKE THEM PAY!

"NOOOOOOO!" Sachiko screamed, squeezing her eyes shut, blocking everything out. Pain! Hatred! All she felt now was pain and hatred! Pain and utmost, undying, _hatred_!

_Sachiko!_

No one would do this! No one would ever do this to _anyone_ again!

_Sachiko!_

They would pay! ALL OF THEM!

_Sachiko!_

Something hard hit her on the head. She blacked out.

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

The night sky was cloudy, making everything seem darker than it really was.

In the back of the hovercraft, Sachiko's head rested on Kargo's shoulder, as Jiro bandaged her wounds. The small girl, still unconscious, looked a horrible mess. Her dark blue hair was disheveled, and she was deathly, deathly pale from the loss of blood.

But worst of all was the look on her face. The look of sadness and pain was so great that no one could look at her without wanting to cry himself.

That was why Hideaki stayed in the cockpit, and left the two boys to care for the girl.

Yuka had not died from the attack. She was extremely weak, but the Healer had immediately tended to her, for there had not been huge losses for the villagers.

But there had been huge losses for the attackers.

Sachiko had become…some sort of monster. Her eyes had become completely filled with hate, and her appearance...she had become a monster. A horrible, insane, rage-filled monster. If Kargo and Jiro hadn't knocked her out—

Hideaki bit her lip. What was this child? Was Sachiko even a child, anymore? She heard the boys suddenly whispering softly…and she heard a quiet moan. Sachiko. She must have woken up.

"W-what happened?" she heard the small girl moan.

_Good. Sachiko must not remember._

Hideaki wiped a tear from her face with her blood-stained hands, before she reached into her pocket and pulled out the gun from before.

The label said, "Capsule Corps."

She had shown Jiro already, and he had not taken it any better. But he, along with Kargo agreed with her on one thing. They would not tell Sachiko.

Hideaki put away the gun and checked her Vidwatch. They had to find the next dragonball.

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

**Jiro: Well, that crap is over with. Now, on to the next dragonball!**

**Kargo: And before you ask dear readers…yes, that was the Bloodthirsty Squirrelly-Squirrel you read about…and yes, he does have a girlfriend now. So if you have black hair and blue eyes…start praying. (Glances at Jiro, smirking)**

**Jiro: Better get that smile off your fucking face...**

**Read and review.**


	26. Reflect, Forget, and Make a New Friend

Disclaimer: Do we really have to go through this again? I own nothing.

A/N: Thanks to all reviewers.

**_Chapter Twenty-Six: Reflect, Forget, and Make a New Friend_**

**Three days ago…**

Panting, Kargo dodged another blast from the attackers, who just seemed to be increasing in number. He grabbed the closest man and threw him into the entire group of offenders, knocking them all down like bowling pins…only to have twenty more men appear, seemingly out of nowhere.

Where were they all coming from? Were they cloning themselves, or what?

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Jiro also getting worn out. Neither one of them had serious injuries, but they were slowly, slowly getting cornered…for a while now, they had been getting pushed towards the herb garden, where all of the villagers were hiding.

This was bad.

Kargo gasped when he felt his back brush against a tree. He turned, and saw that the herb gardens were no more than a couple of yards away. He then immediately ducked, as a blast sliced through the tree where his head had been only seconds ago, and threw a ki beam at the shooter, hitting the man directly in the kneecaps.

"Hey, freak!" Jiro yelled as he threw numerous blue blasts at the attackers. "Now would be a really good time for a plan! I'm getting a little tired here!"

"I'm working on it!" Kargo yelled back as he shielded himself behind the tree. "Just—just give me a second…" He stopped.

_What the_…where was that energy coming from? It felt so…so…He focused for a moment, trying to pinpoint it, but as quickly as it appeared, it vanished, like a flicker of light. Kargo focused harder, but he couldn't find it again. _Where did it go?_

It was then he realized that the blasting had stopped. He peered out from behind the tree, and saw that Jiro had taken cover behind a large rock, looking completely exhausted. Kargo frowned.

_How many times do I have to tell that idiot not to use all his ki at once? This is why he can't do anything more than hover off the ground!_

Suddenly, he saw that most of the attackers were putting away the guns. One of them had a small, metal ball in his hands. Next to him, he heard Jiro swear, and before he could turn to the human teen to ask for an explanation, Jiro ran out from behind the rock and grabbed Kargo, pulling him toward the herb gardens.

Seconds later, there was a loud explosion behind them, and both boys felt a violent rush of wind as the ground behind them was destroyed. As he ran, Kargo looked back, and saw that the tree and rock were completely gone. And now the attackers were taking _more_ of those explosives out of their pockets…

He and Jiro stopped at the edge of the garden, a few feet away from the huts. He saw Hideaki peeking out from one of the huts, before hurriedly pulling her head back in. Kargo wasn't sure how much damage he could take from the mini-bombs, but he knew how much a human could take—none. Once those men threw the balls at the herb garden, it was over.

Again…this was bad.

_Craaaaaaack_!

Kargo, Jiro, and even the attackers turned towards the noise, a noise that made them all cringe and wince. The attackers all parted, trying to see who—or what—had made that sound. They all moved away, moved aside, moved apart…until they reached the last attacker.

Whose head was completely twisted backwards.

Kargo gaped as the man's arms flailed for a minute, with the back of his head in the place where his face should have been. Stunned, the other young men scrambled away as the body stumbled forward clumsily, before falling forward on the ground, the man's face staring up at the sky as his backwards body twitched, twitched, twitched…before becoming still.

"_How…dare…how dare they!_"

Kargo tore his eyes off of the corpse to look at the speaker…and froze. He heard Jiro choke in shock, and he was dimly aware of the gasps coming out of his own mouth.

Standing over the man's body, with her arms crossed, was a creature…a creature that _looked_ like Sachiko, but it couldn't have been her—it couldn't have even been human. This creature had demonic eyes; instead of being white, the gold irises shone out of black pools, bearing only the look of absolute hatred. Yellow hair spiked towards the sky as the creature's lips formed a horrid snarl, baring its teeth like an animal from Hell.

But the face…the face appeared to be _cracked_, like porcelain. Lines of red started around her eyes, and traveled down her cheek, curving off at the chin. Kargo nearly threw up; it looked like _blood_, but no liquid flowed from the cracks. Worst of all…her ki had changed completely. It wasn't like before…it didn't feel suppressed, but it was shrouded and hard to detect, even though he was standing right in front of her…

Suddenly one of the other attackers screamed, and fired his weapon at the creature. The blast went right through the girl—whose form shivered for a minute, before disappearing completely.

An afterimage.

Suddenly, the creature appeared in front of the group…and in front of him and Jiro. She was facing the attackers and had her back to them, so the creature wasn't aware of them yet…or was she? Kargo then realized that the creature's left shoulder was heavily bleeding.

The creature hissed as the attackers all picked up their blasters. She raised her right hand in front of her, and put her thumb and index fingers together. Then, she moved her hand to the side, and Kargo, who seemed to be rooted to the spot (likewise for Jiro), managed to see a line of ki appear where her hand moved…

Several loud screams brought his attention back to the attackers. He looked up, and saw thin lines of ki shooting towards the men, slicing their arms, their stomachs, their faces…wherever there was flesh, the ki lines struck. The men, now bloody and looking like Swiss cheese, fell to the ground, screaming, crying for their mothers…

The creature simply stared at the dying men, her hand lowering slowly as she twitched at every movement the men made. Finally, when they stilled, she stilled.

Silence.

The creature then turned to them.

The look of hatred was still there, but it lessened very, very slightly. The black in her eyes slowly changed to gray, almost back to white, and the snarl was gone, replaced only by a bitter frown. The cracks in her face were still there, however, and her hair was still yellow and spiky.

Kargo couldn't move, and neither could Jiro. This wasn't a Super Saiyajin transformation—he had read too much about it to not know. Sweat slowly rolled down his forehead. This creature, this demon possessing Sachiko, had just _killed_ an entire group of men without even batting an eye. She could easily kill them too…

…and yet she wasn't moving. She was just staring at them, as if she couldn't tell whether they were friend or foe.

"S-sachiko," he heard Jiro whisper. "What happened to you?"

The creature said nothing, and only continued to observe them.

"OH MY GODS!"

Kargo and Jiro snapped their heads back, and saw Hideaki and several villagers outside of the huts. Hideaki just stood there, frozen, her sight fixed on the creature as the village elders ran back in terror.

The creature snarled at the reaction, and her eyes turned back to black and gold. She formed a red ki blast in her hand, but before she could fire, Kargo and Jiro ran up to her and grabbed her arms.

"Sachiko!" Jiro yelled. "Sachiko, snap out of it! These are the feudal people!"

The creature stopped, staring at Jiro, before a tomato hit her face. Kargo turned and saw one of the rare children of the village holding several vegetables in his arms. "Demon!" the boy yelled, and threw a cabbage at her, which missed and fell at her feet. "Spawn of Amatsu! Go away!"

The creature screamed, and tore out of their grasps, running for the child. Jiro quickly tackled her to the ground, and tried to hold her as the creature thrashed and struggled—it did not seem to want to hurt him.

If she wasn't stopped, she would kill everybody. He had no choice. "Jiro!" Kargo yelled. "Hold her up! Make her stand up!"

"What are you, nuts?" the human teen shouted back. "I can barely hold her _now_!"

"Do it!" Kargo positioned his hands near his stomach, and concentrated on gathering energy in front of him. _I have to aim this right_, he thought. _I have to aim this right, otherwise I'll miss…and kill her._ As the small ball of ki grew in his hands, he watched Jiro struggle to hold the creature in place.

"Gekiretsukodan!" he screamed, before pushing the energy towards the creature. The creature froze, her face holding a look of shock as if she never expected him to do this…

Jiro dived out of the way as the blast hit the creature straight on the head.

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

**Present…**

As the others slept, Kargo pulled out Dende's journal, desperate to find some answers.

Nothing.

He turned the pages, checking for helpful information.

Nothing.

He skimmed the descriptions of transformations, to see what matched with their current predicament. His eyes fell on several transformations, varying from species to power levels to sheer dumb luck.

Super Saiyajin. That had been his initial guess at seeing her yellow hair, but her eyes and face had removed that from the list. If she had turned Super, her eyes would have, no, _should_ have turned green. And there was nothing in Dende's notes that mentioned anything about cracks in the person's face…

Oozaru…what the hell was that? Kargo frowned as he read the description. Giant…apes? In all his life, he had never seen Sachiko turn into an ape. Sure, she had stopped cutting off her tail when she was four, but even then, she had never transformed into anything remotely monkey-ish. Besides, the fight against Ayu had taken place in the day, and the sky had been cloudy at night anyway.

Hidden potential…no…Kaio-ken…no…Namekian fusion…Sachiko wasn't a Namek, no matter how much he wished it…

Nothing.

He threw the book away in disgust, where it hit the floor with a loud _thump_. He froze when Sachiko made a small whimpering noise, but the small girl soon stopped and went back to sleep, her head lolling to the side as it rested against the wall of the hovercraft.

The Namek released the breath he didn't realize he'd been holding. Slowly, as to not wake her, he moved his torn half of the pillow under her head, and brushed some of her blue hair away from her face, which no longer held the horrid red cracks.

Even after she had been knocked out, the villagers were livid. They practically threw them out of the village, screaming that Sachiko would bring the wrath of the gods…he saw the angered look of the elders, the frightened eyes of the children, and the unfathomable expression of Ayu as she carried the unconscious Yuka… and all of them blamed Sachiko…

_No. It wasn't her_, he told himself. _What happened back there…it wasn't her._

But he needed to know what happened. It was eating away at him, the fear and possibility that the creature could return again.

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

"What a great day! The sun is _shining_! The birdies are _chirping_! The squirrels over there are _eating_ something red! The—ouch! My head hurts…"

Sachiko winced as she gingerly touched her aching head, then winced again as she touched her injured shoulder. Walking behind her on the dirt path, Jiro flicked her ear and gave her one of his hard looks.

"Stop messing around," he snapped. "You're still hurt, and it could take _weeks_ for you to recover if you keep bouncing around like that."

"But—"

"But nothing! Now pipe down and focus on getting better! There's a town somewhere around here, and we need to get there and buy gas for the hovercraft and medicine for _you_! The sooner the better!"

Sachiko pouted. She turned to Kargo for some support, but the Namek boy appeared to be too deep in thought to notice _anything_.

She couldn't understand it. For the past three days, Kargo, Jiro, and Hideaki had been on edge with her, but she couldn't figure out why. Hideaki had just laughed nervously and said that it was her PMS coming on (which Sachiko translated as "Pretty Mysteriously Strange."). Sachiko could somewhat understand why Hideaki wasn't in a talkative mood, for the older girl seemed devastatingly tired, but Kargo_ never_ acted this way around her, not even when he had a fight with Piccolo-san. Ever since they left the village, she often caught him sneaking worried glances at her as he read from Dende's journal, but he would hurriedly look away. Odd.

As for Jiro…he just seemed mad at her, which she would have considered normal, except for the fact that she didn't remember getting into any arguments with him recently. Then again, she didn't remember anything after the village attack. Hideaki had told her that she had fainted from the blaster wound, and that she had hit her head on a rock while Kargo and Jiro scared away all the bad guys. Sachiko had laughed in delight at that last piece of information, especially when Hideaki told her that Yuka and Ayu were alright.

Something seemed off, though…maybe it was the fact that Hideaki looked as if she was about to cry when she told the story. Well, the older girl was at the hovercraft, waiting for them to bring back some gas…no point in thinking about it now…

There it was again! Sachiko quickly snapped her head at Kargo, whose cheeks darkened as he quickly turned away. What was going on here? Did she do something wrong, or what? She suddenly ran ahead, and stopped in front of the two boys with her arms spread out. (Her left, injured arm was spread considerably less than her right.)

"Are you two mad at me?" she asked, staring closely at the boys' faces. "Are you upset because we've spent so much time at the village? Because if you are, then I'm sorry! It's over now, and we're after the dragonballs again! Please stop being mad!" Her lower lip wobbled slightly, and her eyes began to water, causing both boys to panic.

"W-we're not mad at you!" Kargo said quickly. He walked over to her and embraced her slowly from behind, making sure not to hurt her shoulder. "W-we just have a lot on our minds, right now."

"Then…then why are you two acting so funny?" Sachiko sniffed, glancing at Kargo and then at Jiro, who stood awkwardly off to the side.

"It's…it's…" Sachiko watched Jiro fumble for a minute, before he turned his head to the side, scowling. "It's a man thing!" he said too loudly. "We just feel really weird right now, and you just happened to get caught in the blast of our weirdness…feelings…" He frowned for a moment, as if not entirely sure of what he said, before he shrugged it off. "Anyway! So there! We feel weird right now, and that's that!"

"Is it going to last long?" Sachiko asked worriedly, her eyes wide with fear at this new discovery of _weirdness feelings_. She heard a low chuckle, and felt Kargo embrace her tighter.

"No," the Namek said softly. "It's not going to last long. It's just until we figure out what we need to figure out, Sachi-chan. Or until we find something else to occupy our interests."

Sachiko squirmed around in Kargo's arms until she could sneak a glance at him. His lips were pulled into a smile, but his jaw was clenched, and he still seemed worried about something. "Are you sure everything's okay?" Sachiko asked.

"Hmm? Oh, yeah!" Kargo released her and gave her a one-fanged grin. "Everything's fine! Don't worry about me! But Sachi-chan—" he bit his lip "—you'll tell me when something's bothering _you_, right? I mean, when you feel troubled, or angry…you'll tell me, right?"

He looked so serious and so protective that Sachiko actually found herself a bit put off. "Why would you want to know when I'm upset? That'll just bother you and make you feel bad, and then _I'll_ feel bad for bothering you and making _you_ feel bad!"

"She's got a point," Jiro pointed out.

"You shut up!" Kargo snapped, before turning back to Sachiko. "It won't bother me! I _want_ you to tell me when things are bothering you! I—"

"Oh, never mind," Sachiko huffed, and walked ahead on the path. She looked back at Kargo, and said with a pinched face, "You two are acting so strange now! I hope the weirdness feelings go away soon!"

"But…Sachi-chan…" Kargo watched Sachiko walk on ahead with a feeling of dejection in his chest. Unfortunately for him, said dejection increased twofold when he heard a snort from behind him.

"Nice going, freak," Jiro said sarcastically. " 'Tell me your feelings, Sachi-chan!' What was all that sentimental shit about? Now she thinks we both suck!"

"Piss off," the Namek said angrily, as they walked slowly after Sachiko. "It's for her own good. I've known her all my life, and believe me, she tends to neglect herself and her own personal feelings to the point where it's dangerous on both an emotional and physical level."

"Eh?"

"She bottles everything up until she explodes, you idiot," Kargo snapped.

"Hey!"

"What I'm trying to avoid," Kargo explained in a more patient tone, "is a repeat of what happened in the village. I don't know exactly what happened, but Saiyajin history informs me that whenever a Saiyajin goes under extreme emotional stress, they…um…have a power boost."

Jiro frowned, and crossed his arms. "That wasn't a power boost. She lost her fucking mind back there."

"I know that," Kargo muttered.

"And anyway, I thought those dead people up in Otherworld said that Sachiko wasn't normal even by Saiyajin standards, anyway. So how could she even transform?"

"I DON'T KNOW! This is why I'm trying to—"

"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEK!"

Kargo and Jiro froze. _Sachiko! _

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

Sachiko was so frustrated and confused that she completely stopped paying attention to her surroundings when she stomped away from Kargo and Jiro.

_I don't understand them! One minute they're nice to me, then they get all quiet, and then they get all mad! Can't they pick one mood and STICK with it? They're just like Grandfather!_

So lost in her thoughts was she that Sachiko bumped rather rudely into a woman—but because of her superior strength, the woman was knocked to the ground in complete disarray, while Sachiko herself was only pushed back. _Oops…_

"Ow! Watch where ya goin', ya great ass!" the woman cried. She pushed her blue wool cap away from her goggle-covered eyes, glaring at her offender…when her gaze fell upon the curious Sachiko. The woman blinked at the small girl for a moment, before she looked around.

"Um, excuse me, miss?" Sachiko asked politely, hoping to make up for her mistake. She inhaled quietly, and noticed a smell of cigarettes, alcohol…and something else on the woman. "What are you looking for?"

The woman smiled and stood up, dusting off her baggy, navy blue outfit. "S'nothin' baby. I'm just lookin' for the son-of-a-bitch-bastard who struck meh down."

"Oh…I'm sorry miss! I'm the one who knocked you down. Gomen!" Sachiko immediately bowed, then winced at the pain in her shoulder. While bending, she noticed a very large lump in the woman's pockets.

"Eh? But yer nothin' but a wee baby," the woman said, scratching her head. "Ya couldn't have struck meh down…"

"VHANA!"

The woman eeped, and slowly turned around as a group of bald, unshaven, burly-looking men all dressed in black leather came towards them from the direction of the town. As they drew closer, a strong, overpowering stench of alcohol and sweat hit Sachiko's nostrils, and she swooned slightly.

"Vhana, you bitch!" the largest and burliest of the men yelled. Sachiko noticed that he also had a strange scent on him, similar to the smell on Vhana. "You're not supposed to take payment until I get my money's worth, you little slut!"

"Shut yer piehole!" Vhana yelled back, her hand touching the lump in her pocket. "I gave ya enough pleasurin' to last ten lifetimes! Besides, ya could no' even keep up with meh. Ya fell asleep halfway through!"

The large man's face reddened as his friends snickered. He growled, glaring at them to shut up, before he reached behind his back and pulled out a knife. "Nobody says that a member of the Viper Brothers!" he snarled. "I'll make you pay for saying that! YAAAAAAAH!"

He charged at Vhana, who froze where she stood. Sachiko on the other hand, had other plans…which involved getting to the source of that strange smell. She quickly stepped in front of Vhana and grabbed the man's wrist—the one with the knife—with her good arm. She then kicked him rapidly in the stomach, in the same place, over and over again, until he began to cough and spit profusely. She let go of his wrist and jumped, ramming his chin with a high kick which sent him flying back to his group, out cold.

Vhana and the other men stared at Sachiko in shock as the girl continued to sniff the air as if nothing happened. "Vhana-san?" she asked politely.

"Y-yes?" the woman answered weakly.

"You and that big bald man have a really strange smell. Did you two eat something together?"

"Uh…" Vhana blushed as some of the bald men laughed at the innocent question.

"You said something about 'pleasuring.' What do you mean? Do you mean that you made him happy or something?"

"Eeeep." Vhana was now as red as a cherry, which clashed with her blue outfit.

"Why are you getting red, Vhana-san? Was it something I—" Sachiko stopped. She suddenly felt a strange itch on her leg. She looked down, and saw…a very LARGE ant crawling up her thighs.

She froze. _Bugbugbugbugbugbugbugbug…_

"Uh…baby?" Vhana looked at the remaining bald men, who were all now approaching them. "Baby? The rest o' them bums are comin' this way…"

"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEK!" Sachiko screamed, and flew twenty feet into the air, shaking her leg like a madwoman to get the ant off. "BUG! BUG! BIG BUG! KILL IT! KILL IT, KILL IT, _KILL IT_!"

"Sachi-chan!" Out of the corner of her eye, Sachiko saw Kargo and Jiro running towards her, as Vhana scrambled away from the bald men. As Kargo and Jiro tangled with the bald men, Sachiko, in her panic-driven state, continued to shake her leg. The poor ant, winded from having been shaken so much, promptly fell off of the small girl's limb and landed on the ground below, crushed by gravity itself.

With the ant now gone, Sachiko regained her focus…but it wasn't necessary. Kargo and Jiro had, by that time, already scared off the bald men with a few good punches to the groin.

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

**TURMOIL: Whew. Three chapters in a week. I'm done. (Falls off chair and dies)**

**Kargo: What? That's it? But we didn't even MENTION the underground team tournament! We didn't even pick a name yet, because you had to go all angsty on us! TURMOIL? Hey, TURMOIL? (Pokes with stick) Uh-oh.**

**Ghost of TURMOIL: And for those who asked about a power chart...I'm a bit too lazy to do that. If you guys want to do it yourselves, that's fine with me.**

**Read and review?**


	27. Deal for the Seven Star Ball

Sachiko: Disclaimer time! TURMOIL-san possesses nothing that should interest you. So no lawsuits, please!

Jiro: Wait a minute. Why are we here? We usually handle the _end_ of the chapter.

Kargo: Our author isn't in the mood or state to do an Author's Note, so we have to do it.

Jiro: So…guess this means that TURMOIL's still somewhat dead, huh?

Kargo: (Sighs) Yup. Lousy younger cousins…they sucked the life out of her. That's why we're here today in her place.

Sachiko: Thanks to all reviewers! Enjoy the story!

**_Chapter Twenty-Seven: Deal for the Seven Star Ball_**

"I ken no' believe meh eyes! Little Baby, you an' yer boys here are truly amazin' ones!"

Sachiko giggled as Vhana helped her drag along a tank of gas. She felt so happy now! Not like before, when she was alone with Kargo and Jiro and their _weirdness feelings_…but it was probably just a boy thing. "It was nothing, Vhana-san!" Sachiko chirped, a wide grin spreading across her face. "And besides, you being a merchant really saved us a trip into town! I didn't know you had a whole cart of supplies hidden out here!"

"Well, I ken no' really bring meh cart to Shigaisen. Tha' place is nothin' more than a thieves' guild. I keep all meh goods outside the place, so I ken trade at a safe distance."

"Is that why that man was chasing you?" Sachiko asked. "Were you trading something with him, and then something went wrong with your payment? Did he spill something on you and himself in fury? Is that why you smell strange?"

Vhana blushed, and laughed nervously as Sachiko cocked her head curiously. "Ahahahaha! Little Baby, don't worry 'bout meh transaction with tha' bum! It's all over now, and ya should no' worry yer head 'bout things like tha' till yer much, much older."

"What do you mean?"

"Err…well…"

THUMP!

Sachiko and Vhana both whirled around, and saw Kargo and Jiro panting as they collapsed against the back of the ridiculously large cart. "What are ya two doin'?" Vhana yelled. "Are ya tryin' ta break meh valuables?"

"Shut the fuck up, woman!" Jiro snapped, glaring at the woman as he wiped sweat from his brow. "We're not donkeys! Don't you have horses or cars for this stupid cart?"

"The jackasses died on meh," Vhana replied, scratching her chin unconcernedly.

"No wonder they dropped dead!" Kargo screamed, his eyes blazing as he flexed his aching arms. "This thing must weigh at least four tons! What the hell do you have in there? _Rocks_?"

"Marble!" Vhana said happily. She walked over to the cart door and opened it, tossing a small white rock to Sachiko before pulling out a _huge_ chunk of white marble. She struggled under its weight, and grinned at the three astonished youths. "Just got meh a order in the East, in the mountain area. Some lad wants marble bits for his quarters, an' he was wantin' it kept private. I dunno why, though…"

Vhana carefully put the marble back into the cart and shut the door, only to have Kargo fly right in front of her face.

"I saw capsules in there!" the Namek yelled, a vein throbbing in his forehead. "Can't you put all those goddamn rocks in capsules so that the cart will be easier to pull for us?"

"I _did_ put some o' them in capsules!" Vhana replied testily. "But I ken no' use all o' them! I keep some a bit empty so tha' I ken use them ta sell!"

"BAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Kargo screamed in agony, as Jiro began to bang his head against the sides of the cart.

"Stupid—greedy—bitchy—woman," Jiro hissed in between words.

"If ya break meh cart, ya have ta pay for it."

Jiro stopped, and glared at the merchant.

"That's a lot of pretty rocks!" Sachiko exclaimed, completely oblivious to her surroundings as she studied the small marble bit in her hand. "I've never seen white ones before! Lots of gray ones, but never white! You must be a great merchant, Vhana-san, to get these things!"

Vhana swelled with pride at that compliment. "Oh, yer such a cute little lass, Baby!" she squealed, hugging Sachiko with glee. "I was always wantin' a lass of meh own, and I always dreamed she'd be like you!"

Their eyes twitching slightly, Kargo and Jiro walked up to the two females and yanked Sachiko away from Vhana. "Keep dreaming, woman," Jiro said flatly, as he and Kargo formed a wall between the merchant and the small girl. "Sachiko belongs to us, not you."

"Besides," Kargo added, his eyes narrowing as he gave Vhana a searching stare, "you didn't seem to be _trading_ anything in the cart with that thug. In fact…now that I think about it…from what I've heard from Sachiko, you seem to specialize more in the matters of _pleasure_, not trade."

"You mean you can't trade pleasure?" Sachiko asked innocently.

"WAH!" Kargo and Jiro fell to the ground anime style as Vhana sweatdropped.

Sachiko blinked, and stared at the boys who were twitching on the ground. "Was it something I said?" she asked the still sweatdropping merchant. "Well, isn't it true? I mean, if you sell a lollipop to a person who wants candy, then aren't you selling him pleasure? Oh, Jiro!" Sachiko smiled as Jiro slowly pulled himself to his feet. Kargo was still twitching. "You're okay!"

"That's…not the pleasure we were talking about," the human teen whispered. "Never mind!" he yelped, when Sachiko opened her mouth. "Just never mind! Forget I said anything!"

Sachiko tilted her head, before she shrugged. "Oh. Okay." She turned back to Vhana, as Kargo finally pushed himself off the ground. "So, Vhana-san! What did you take from the smelly, big, bald man to make him so mad? Did you take his wallet?"

"I suppose I shoulda' dun tha' too," the merchant muttered, before she shook her head. "No, Little Baby. I took somethin' much better tha' his wallet." She reached into her pocket and took out the lump, holding the item before their eyes. "I'm thinkin' this gem's worth a pretty penny," she said, grinning as the three youths' jaws simultaneously dropped. Kargo couldn't even speak properly.

"T—that's—that's the—the—"

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

"Are you serious, Hideaki?"

Hideaki nodded as her father and Katsu gave her worried looks through her Vidwatch. "I've never been more serious in my life, father. Someone is either making weapons and trying to frame Capsule Corporation, or we have a traitor in the mist. We need to tighten security, and change some codes around. We need to check every employee in the Research Center, and make sure that they're not doing dirty deals with anyone outside the company."

"My word!" Mr. Kutai exclaimed, pulling at his mustache. "And are you sure you and the others are alright? I've been trying to contact your brother and Miss Sachiko for ages, but they never answer their Vidwatches!"

"It's okay, father!" Hideaki said, waving one hand in the air in dismissal. "We're all…relatively okay. Just try to figure out what's been going on in the company without arousing too much suspicion, got it?"

"Okay, Hideaki," Katsu replied, as Mr. Kutai nodded. "We'll check it out, but it's going to be hard. Our stock numbers have looked strange recently, and our investigators have been busy with that…but we'll give it our best shot!"

Hideaki smiled at her lover. "Thank you," she whispered. Katsu blushed, before the screen went black with a small _ping_.

The young woman sighed, and leaned back in her chair, her hand covering her face. She frowned when she heard her neck crack slightly, and shifted her weight, only to hear another crack, this time at her back. "This is ridiculous," she muttered. "First the miko crap, then the weapons, and now my bones sound like that of a seventy-year-old's. I can't take this. I'm a beautiful, smart, gorgeous young woman. I should be at a sauna right now, getting a massage from some dimwitted, hunky young man."

_And then there's Sachiko going berserk._ Hideaki frowned, and pressed her fingers against her forehead. _I should test her for that_, she thought privately. _Whatever happened to the kid wasn't normal…and I don't want that to happen again. She seems fine now, though…_

She paused when she saw a yellow glow through her fingers. Without removing her hand, she yelled out, "Kargo? Are you back? I thought I said no ki blasts in the hovercraft!"

There was no answer. Growling, she got up and turned around, only to find that she was alone. Blinking, she looked around, half worried that a stranger was in the hovercraft. But that couldn't be…they were half a mile from the nearest town, hidden in a secluded area.

Then again, most serial killers _did_ like the secluded area scenery…and here she was, a rich, beautiful, defenseless woman…all alone…

_CRAP!_

Hideaki screamed when she saw the glow again, and whirled around—to find that the glow was coming from one of the bags. She peeked inside, after shoving some recently washed clothing out of the way, and her gaze fell upon the Four Star and One Star dragonballs…which were glowing up a storm.

_What the hell?_

Hideaki pulled out the dragonballs, and stared at them in confusion. What could cause them to suddenly glow like that out of the blue? Kargo had told her once before that a dragonball sometimes glowed if another dragonball was close by, but they weren't _that_ close to the third dragonball…

…or were they?

Hideaki turned on her Vidwatch, and switched the setting to "Radar Mode." Immediately the world map appeared, with seven red dots blinking brightly at her. She pressed several buttons, and the screen honed on where two of the dots were astoundingly close to one another. "Those are ours," she muttered. "So where's the third one?"

She then caught sight of a third red dot coming straight for the other two. Hideaki blinked—the third ball was headed right for her! And at speeds too great for the human eye! Oh gods! Hideaki paled. Was it strapped to a rocket or something? GOOD HEAVENS ABOVE! SHE WAS UNDER ATTACK!

"Hideaki-chan!"

Hideaki shrieked and dove for the ground. _Idunwannadie! I wanna live! LIVE I SAY!_

"Hideaki-chan! Hideaki-chan!" A pair of small hands touched her shoulders, and the young woman looked up to see Sachiko's smiling face. "Hideaki-chan!" the small girl squealed. "Get up! I have something wonderful to show you! C'mon!"

"W-what?" Hideaki stammered as Sachiko grabbed her hand and forced her to her feet. She allowed the small girl to drag her outside, and blinked when she saw a older woman dressed completely in blue. The woman stared back at her through goggle-covered eyes, and grinned.

"Hello, lass!" the woman yelled in a thick accent. "Ya must be the Little Baby's kinswoman! Pleasure ta meet yer acquaintance!"

"Uh…" Hideaki stepped back slightly from the woman's enthusiastic greeting. She turned to Sachiko and gave her a questioning look. "Sachiko-chan, who is this?"

"This is Vhana!" Sachiko said, her lips pulled into a toothy grin. "She's my newest big-person friend! Say hello!"

"Sachiko-chan!" Hideaki cried. She stopped for a moment to wave nervously at the foreign woman, before she turned back to Sachiko in annoyance. "You can't just bring random people to our hiding spot! What if she's dangerous? What if she knows my _mother_?"

"Vhana-san is _not_ dangerous! She's very nice! And look!" Sachiko pointed to where Vhana was standing, and Hideaki spotted a large tank next to the woman. "She's a merchant, and because I helped her, she gave us the gas for a lower price than what she usually charges!"

"But—but—oh, never mind! Where the heck is Kargo and Jiro-kun?"

"They're over there, I think," Sachiko said, her gaze turning towards a large pull cart stationed a few feet away. Hideaki tilted her head and saw that behind the cart, Kargo and Jiro were both lying facedown on the ground in sheer exhaustion. Both Hideaki and Sachiko eeped when Jiro lifted his face, revealing a pale, ghastly expression.

"The horror," Jiro gasped, his facial features twisted with fatigue and exhaustion. "The unedited, child-abusing, T-rated HORROR!"

"Water…water…" Kargo's body twitched several times, earning a nervous chuckle from Hideaki and a gasp from Sachiko. "…water…"

"Kargo-kun!" Sachiko sped towards the fallen Namek, promptly knocking Jiro out of the way as she hurriedly pulled out a flask of water.

"Hey!" Jiro yelled.

"Are you okay, Kargo?" Sachiko asked, completely unaware of the enraged human boy next to her. "Here…drink this, quickly!" She looked on worriedly as the Namek grabbed the flask from her hands and gulped down the water desperately, pausing only when he needed to breathe. "Don't drink so fast! You'll—choke…" Sachiko paled when Kargo suddenly began coughing violently, and the girl began to smack his back, hard. "Cough it up, Kargo-kun! Don't get water in your lungs!"

Hideaki couldn't help but laugh at the two as she made her way over to her still steaming brother. "Aw," Hideaki cooed. "Sachiko seems so much happier now! I don't know whether it's an effect that only Kargo has on her, but it's just so _cute_! Don't you think they're _cute_ together, Jiro-kun?" She raised a suggestive brow as she elbowed him in the ribs. "Huh? Huh? Don't cha think they're _cute_?"

Jiro didn't answer, though his eye was twitching repeatedly. Instead, he turned towards Vhana, who was busy trying to pour the gas into the hovercraft. "Woman!" he roared, startling the merchant. "Don't you have slaves of your own to pull this fucking cart?"

"Jiro!" Hideaki scolded. "Don't call her 'woman'! Last I heard, she has a name!"

"Oh, don't worry yer head off, lassie!" Vhana replied as she made her way over to them. "My old loves called meh tha' all the time! And ta yer question," she said as she turned to Jiro, "I used ta have meh brothers around, but…a freak accident took 'em from meh."

Hideaki gasped. "Oh. I'm so sorry," she said softly.

"How'd they die?" Jiro asked flatly. He yelped when Hideaki smacked him upside the head. "HEY!"

"You are such an insensitive bastard!" Hideaki yelled, smacking him on the head again. "Have some compassion for other human beings when horrible things happen to them!"

"I do have compassion for others!" Jiro shot back.

"I meant someone besides _Sachiko_!" Hideaki screamed. On the sidelines, Vhana sweatdropped as she stepped away from the bickering siblings.

"Stop fightin'!" Vhana cried, keeping her distance. "Good gods above, I'm still tryin' to make sense out o' the deaths meself! I mean, from what I've been hearin' round the town, meh kin were eaten by two small, unidentified beasts a while back."

Hideaki and Jiro stopped, and turned to Vhana with confused and nauseated looks. "You serious?" Jiro asked.

Vhana nodded, sniffing. "I've been stuck in Shigaisen since tha' accident. Oh, such a pity…they were so handsome…an' they had hair like the blackest night, with eyes like the bluest ocean…" The merchant sighed and shook her head. "Such a pity."

Jiro snorted inaudibly. "Pity. Right." He swayed away from another one of Hideaki's smacks, and stared at Vhana with cold eyes. "Look, we brought you here because we wanted to talk to you. See, besides gas, you have something that we want."

"I do?" Vhana asked, the very same minute Hideaki asked, "She does?"

"Yes!" Jiro snapped to both women. He turned to Vhana and said, "Woman, show my sister the gem you took from those idiot gangsters."

Hideaki was about to hit Jiro for disrespecting Vhana _again_, but when the merchant removed an item from her pocket, Hideaki's mind and body completely froze.

In Vhana's gloved hand, shining in all its glory, was the Seven Star dragonball.

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

"Is this trinket really worth tha' much ta ya?"

Sitting inside the hovercraft, the group nodded their heads (very enthusiastically on Sachiko's part). "We really need it," the small girl explained. "We're on an important journey, and the dragon—I mean, the gem is really needed to complete it."

"Why?" Vhana asked. She tossed the orb lightly into the air before catching it. "It does no' seem ta do anythin' important, an' the gem does no' seem to hold any magical property…"

"Look," Kargo said sternly. "We can't tell you why, okay? We just need it. I know it's not much of an explanation, but that's all we can tell you for now."

"Why, meh dears? Do ya have issues with trustin' meh?"

Hideaki bit her lip, and stared at ground. "It's not _you_," she said honestly. "It's just that…well…we just can't trust anyone at the moment. Nothing personal. Please, just let us—"

"How much do you want for it?" Jiro cut off, staring right into Vhana's eyes. Sachiko, Kargo, and Hideaki all stared at him incredulously, but he ignored them and focused on the startled Vhana. "Well? You heard me, woman! How much do you want for the orange ball?"

"W-well…" The merchant fumbled for a moment. "See, I dunno the price for the gem, an' I do no' sell unless I get meh facts first."

"Hold on a second!" Hideaki yelled. She took Jiro by the scuff of his collar and gave Vhana an apologetic grin. "Excuse us for a moment," she said, laughing nervously, before she yanked Jiro out of the hovercraft, with Sachiko and Kargo following close behind.

When they were considerably distanced from Vhana, Hideaki released Jiro and fumed at him. "You idiot!" she yelled. "Are you insane? We can't just spend money like it grows on trees!"

"Money _does_ grow on trees," Kargo pointed out. "Money is printed on paper, remember?" Hideaki glared at him, and he fell silent. Jiro, on the other hand, was anything but silent.

"What's the big deal?" he snapped. "Have you forgotten who we are? We're Jiro and Hideaki Kutai, the richest siblings on the planet. Money is not an option for _anything_, remember? The only trouble we ever have with money is deciding whether to use cash, credit, or debit."

"What's debit?" Sachiko asked, only to be shushed by Kargo.

The older Kutai sibling sighed, and slapped her hand against her forehead. "_Excellent_ reasoning, brother," she said in a very sarcastic voice. "Positively _brilliant_. However, you forget one, tiny, _tiny _little detail. I can't use my credit _or_ debit cards anymore, because mother will hunt that down in a second! We have to conserve our cash, and we honestly can't spend that much now! How do you expect us to pay that woman for the dragonball?"

Jiro froze. He had forgotten about that. He stared at the ground and growled. He hadn't been in a city in ages! He was forgetting about the basics of spending huge wads of cash! He was turning into—into some sort of poverty stricken person who had to _conserve_ his money just to get the bare necessities!

Gods, how he hated that!

"So now what?" Kargo asked, ignoring the being of anger that was Jiro. "Vhana will be expecting some payment for the dragonball. How much do we have, anyway?"

"We only have about one hundred thousand zenni," Hideaki said miserably. Jiro stared at his sister in shock, while Kargo and Sachiko's jaws hit the floor.

"That's _it_?" Jiro yelled. "That's all we have?"

"What the hell?" Kargo cried. "What's the matter with you two? That's a lot of money for me and Sachiko! Right Sachi-chan?" He stared at the small girl, whose mouth was still open from the shock of having all that money. "I'll take your silence as an affirmative answer!"

"You two never use money!" Jiro yelled, his eyes narrowing at the Namek. "What the hell would you know about currency? For your information, this amount of money disappears in the city in two days! This is chump change!"

"You know why the money runs out so quickly for you?" Kargo bellowed. "It's because you're a wasteful, selfish, money-grubbing asshole, who can't enjoy the things he has around him long enough to appreciate them!"

"What are you saying, freak?" Jiro screamed, as Hideaki covered her ears and sighed.

"What I'm saying…you're a _shallow_ son-of-a-bitch!"

Jiro's fists clenched, and rational thought flew out the window. "SHALLOW? I AM NOT _SHALLOW_! FOR YOUR INFORMATION, I HAPPEN TO REALLY LIKE—"

"Hey! Lads and lassies!"

Jiro stopped shouting as Vhana ran up to them from the hovercraft, panting as if she had just run a great distance. She stopped, and leaned on the still open-mouthed Sachiko for support as she tried to catch her breath. "Oh lords," she gasped. "Need ta exercise more…"

"What do you want?" Jiro snapped angrily. He frowned as Vhana finally regained her composure, and gave them all a cheeky grin.

"I decided," she said as she placed a hand on Sachiko's head, "tha' I'll trade with ya, laddie. But—" her grin widened "—zenni is no' what I want from ya."

"Really?" Hideaki uncovered her ears and gave Vhana a look of surprise. "Then what do you want?"

Vhana tapped her chin, her eyes sparkling underneath her goggles. "Well…"

"We're not giving you Sachiko," Kargo said quickly, his eyes narrowing at the way the older woman's hand remained on Sachiko's head. "Like we said before…she belongs to us."

"Relax laddie," Vhana said, waving a hand in the air in a dismissing manner. "I will no' take away yer Little Baby. Ya seem to care about her too much…" The merchant sighed, before she ruffled Sachiko's hair. "Tis a shame though, right Little Baby? Baby?" She looked at Sachiko, who was _still_ in an open-mouthed daze. Vhana shrieked, and began to shake her. "Baby! Are ya alright?"

"Wah…wah…what?" Sachiko shook her head, and looked around. "Oh…I'm sorry! I was thinking about the money, and then I started thinking about the city, and then I started thinking about the really good food I ate there, and then I started thinking about eating pork buns and chocolate cake and orange juice and sodee-pop, and—"

"That's alright, Baby!" Vhana interrupted, covering Sachiko's mouth with her hand. "I do no' want ta take yer money."

"Hmm?" Sachiko blinked, before he gave Vhana a questioning look. "What do you want then, for the dra—I mean, the pretty, shiny, orangey little gem?"

Vhana smirked, and crossed her arms. Her eyes flashed behind her goggles as she slowly said, "Little Baby, I want ya ta enter a tournament with yer lads over there. I want ya ta enter the Shigaisen Brawl-Out, and I want ya ta _win_."

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

The man stepped into the town outskirts, his eyes slowly taking in the sights of the dying town that was Shigaisen. He took a long drag out of his cigarette, before he spat the butt to the ground.

Trash scattered the cracked streets, as gangsters hid in every shadow of every corner, waiting for an unsuspecting victim to cross their path. At the sidewalks, prostitutes and desperate female merchants lined the walls of nearby buildings, as they flirted and chatted with potential clients.

The youngest whore couldn't have been older than fourteen.

Ryoushi Ganjou sighed as he took off his cracked shades. Holding his dust-covered trench coat over his shoulder with one hand, he slowly walked through the streets, looking for a bar and a pleasant, but cheap, woman.

Normally he wouldn't waste time doing such things. But with his current (and failing) assignment, he no longer gave a damn. He needed some release.

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

**Kargo: Next time, we choose our name, we register, and we face off against our opponents. That's all I'm allowed to say…**

**Sachiko: (giggles) I still can't believe I beat you guys next chapter at Rock, Paper, Scissors. At my first try, too!**

**Jiro & Kargo: SHUT UP!**

**Sachiko: (Sniff sniff)…WAAAAAAAAAAAAH!**

**Kargo: (To Jiro) Now look what you did! You made her cry!**

**Jiro: _Me_? YOU SON-OF-A-BITCH!**

**Kargo: (sing-song) Shallow…**

**Jiro: THAT'S IT! YOU'RE DEAD!**


	28. Rock, Paper, Scissors

Kargo: Disclaimer time! Our author owns nothing, because volunteering gives you a paycheck of…zero.

Jiro: Pathetic, isn't she? Oh, and because of the people liking our commentary at the beginning, TURMOIL, the witch that she is, decided that we should do this permanently.

Sachiko: HOO-RAY! Now we can talk at the beginning, AND at the end! Isn't that fun?

Kargo & Jiro: …

Sachiko: (Oblivious) Yup! It's gonna be HEAPS of fun! We'll all hold hands, and bake gingerbread cookies, and eat chocolate cake while watching the stars together, and maybe even share some _kisses_!

Kargo and Jiro: (Turns purple/red)

Sachiko: (Still oblivious) YUP! I brought a bag of Hershey's Chocolate Kisses! (Takes out bag) Who wants one?

Jiro: WAH! (Falls over)

Kargo:…..I knew it was too good to be true. Anyway, we apologize on our author's behalf for the delay. Also, we thought you should know that YES, the Brawl-Out is different from the traditional DB storyline. (We have Final Fantasy references in this one, by the way.) However, we didn't want to do a Budokai now because that's not supposed to come until—OW! (Gets slapped upside the head by Jiro)

Jiro: FOOL! Keep your green mouth shut! Just start the story already! (Unwraps a chocolate kiss and eats it)

Kargo: Hey! Give me one of those kisses, Sachi-chan!

**_Chapter Twenty-Eight: Rock, Paper, Scissors_**

A long time ago, Shigaisen had once been prosperous. It once had wealth and status that was equal to, if not greater than, the five central cities, and Shigaisen had almost reached the city status itself. No gangs, no prostitution, no avarice. But then, beginning with its politicians, Shigaisen slowly, slowly became corrupted.

The rich began to feed off of the middle class, and jobs were cut, raising the poverty line. Many moved away to other towns, other cities, leaving the once great Shigaisen for the rats and devil-incarnates to occupy.

No one knew about this more than Vhana, who had passed by the town with her late brothers more times than she wanted to admit. After the four youths accepted her deal for the strange orange orb, her first bit of advice was that they should wait until evening to enter the town.

It wasn't safe to go out in the morning, because there would be less protection if they were seen in broad daylight.

The reason, although initially absurd, was logical. The more experienced policemen had the morning shifts in Shigaisen, and the rookies controlled the night watch. The veterans, Vhana explained, were so corrupted that they could watch a child get raped and not bat an eyelid as long as the rapist paid them beforehand. The rookies, on the other hand, still had some morality in them, and would at least _attempt_ to protect innocents if a gang member got too interested in them.

"Why would the police not protect the people?" Sachiko asked after Vhana explained her reasoning (in an edited manner for Sachiko). "My Okaasan was a police officer for West City, and she always protected those who needed her, even if she was gonna get really hurt!"

"Some people aren't as dedicated as Taka-san," Kargo answered quietly.

"T-that's true," Hideaki agreed. Her voice shook slightly—the story had obviously unnerved her. "There are people who would do anything for money, even if some people get hurt in the process."

Sachiko's eyes widened. "But…but why would they do such a terrible thing?" She stared at Hideaki, who didn't answer her. She turned to Vhana, then Jiro, then Kargo. "_Why_?"

Still, no one answered her. Then, after a tense silence, Jiro spoke.

"It's because of greed," he spat. "Greed and selfishness are some of the most powerful emotions in the world. It can bring down even the greatest of cities, and no one would know or care. Life would just go on, as if nothing ever happened." His hands clenched at the Vidwatches his father had given to him and Sachiko. They had been crushed, both during the attacks at the Susanoo villages.

More silence. Then a soft cry.

Sniff, sniff. Whimper, whimper. "Jiro…that's not a very nice thought."

A snort. "Hmph. It's the truth Sachiko. Deal with it. And for god sakes, don't you start crying on me! You gotta be tough! Act like a man! Except…in a more womanly manner."

Sniff, sniff. Whimper, whimper.

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

The half-moon was already rising by the time they reached Shigaisen. The five slowly walked through the dirty streets as they went over the rules to the Brawl-Out.

"The 'Anything-Goes' Shigaisen Brawl-Out," Hideaki said thoughtfully. "An underground tournament where fights are held in various environments and conditions. There are no rules to the fights, so weapons and every dirty move known to man can be used. Entrants must register in groups of three, complete with the team's name."

Kargo frowned as he listened to and mulled over the details of the Shigaisen Brawl-Out. "This is very different from a Tenkaichi Budokai," he said finally, as they made their way into the volatile town. "I've never heard of a tournament for teams before."

"Tha's because most fighters hate ta work together," Vhana replied, kicking some empty beer cans out of her way. "Teamwork's rare for them martial artist types. Most ta them boys think tha' havin' group partners slow 'em down, so they tend ta flock to the Budokai fightin'. Tha's why the only group fighters these days come fro' the gangs and vagabonds. Ah, here we are! Daemon's Court of Sins!"

Vhana turned the corner of a building, and walked into a pseudo-courtyard formed by that building and two others. Only one miserable streetlamp lit the yard. The minute the four youths stepped into the area, a strange smell hit their nostrils…a sweet yet bad kind of smell. It was mixed with so many different scents that even Hideaki covered her nose from the odor. Kargo and Jiro winced, and tried to turn their faces away, but it was hopeless. The stench was everywhere.

Sachiko didn't cover her nose. She swooned right toward the ground.

"OOF!"

A man, who was lying against the building, grunted in pain as Sachiko landed hard on his stomach. The small girl immediately gasped and coughed—the man's body odor was absolutely _unbearable_. Forcing her body to regain its momentum, she scrambled off of him and back towards the others, tossing only a quick backwards glance at the man to simply know who she had offended.

In the moonlight, she could just barely make out the man's features. His head was almost completely covered with a brown scarf, save his eyes and mouth. The man moaned, and Sachiko managed to catch a glimpse of his yellow teeth. The small girl eeped and reached for Kargo's arm, clinging to it.

"Is he—?" Sachiko began, her grip tightening on the Namek's arm. "Is he—?"

"No," Vhana said, walking back towards them. "Bum's just tryin' ta sleep. If he had money, he'd be inside. Come, now. Keep close ta meh."

Vhana entered a door located on the building furthest from them, and the others followed her down several steps into a basement. At the end of the steps, they found themselves in a large room.

It didn't look large at first. Because many were smoking, the clouds were so thick that it was actually hard to see from one end of the room to the other. There was a steel door in the side of the room, but no one was going in, and no one was coming out. There was a bar at the back, with several men chugging down beers. There were smaller tables set all over the room, which had the smokers, card dealers, pool players, etc, etc, etc…

Men collapsed onto the cheap, plastic surfaces of said tables, either from sheer drunkenness, sheer despair from having lost too much money at cards and pool, or the sheer high from using too much drugs. And each man, each spiritually dead man…each of them had looks on their faces…lost looks, desperate looks, moronic looks…

The scene made Hideaki and Jiro uncomfortable. The scene made Kargo worry about Sachiko, and he was right to worry, for the scene made Sachiko very, very depressed.

At the very front, a shaggy-haired man was perched on a stool behind a counter, his feet dangling over the rungs. Sipping a cup of tea calmly, he looked up at Vhana, and said, "What'dya want tonight? We don't have customers for you at this hour, and I don't need to buy any more supplies." Closing his eyes, he went back to his tea, sipping the cup with one hand while the other rested on his thigh.

"I'm no' here for business with ya Daemon," Vhana said, her hands on her hips. "I'm here ta register meh team."

If Daemon was surprised, he didn't show it. Instead, he causally scratched his forehead with his little finger, and stared at Hideaki, Jiro, and Kargo. "These the runts you're entering?" he asked, still scratching.

Sachiko caught Vhana scratching her chin with her index finger. "Ya got two outta three." Vhana tapped Jiro on the shoulder, Kargo on the shoulder, and Sachiko on the head. "These three are meh team."

Daemon raised a brow for a moment, before his face slipped into a look of indifference. "Peh. You're up to something Vhana. You wanna get these runts killed?"

"We're not runts!" Jiro cried, only to be shushed by a nervous looking Hideaki. Vhana only smiled at the man, and crossed her arms.

"Trust meh," she said smoothly. "These are no' the ones ya should be worryin' for."

Daemon's brow rose again, before he smirked. "You know something."

"Maybe."

"Very well then." The man got off his stool, and began to walk towards the lighted door. "This way, runts," he said, motioning them to follow with a wave of his hand. "Step through the door, and follow the tunnel until you see a woman with dark blonde hair. Oh…and by the way..." The man gave them an unpleasant smile that bared all his teeth. "Welcome to the Shigaisen Brawl-Out."

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

Ryoushi drank his entire mug of beer in one gulp.

He had called Miyuki earlier, an action he deeply regretted. The banshee started screaming her head off about his incompetence at having failed the first time, and had threatened to cut off the deal if he didn't bring the two brats home at once.

Well, excuse him for being stuck in a town jail for god-knows-how-long! He hadn't intended on the brats having knowledge about ki manipulation, and he hadn't intended on being caught by the Crystal Cave assholes!

_No excuses_, screeched the banshee known as Miyuki Kutai. _You find Jiro and Hideaki, and get rid of the other two! I don't care how!_

Ryoushi grabbed his refilled mug and drank. Great…now he had to get the two brats _and_ kill the two nutmegs that accompanied them, _without fail_. Just great…

"…and by the way...welcome to the Shigaisen Brawl-Out."

_Eh?_

The shaggy-haired man from the counter was off his stool, something that came as a surprise to Ryoushi. He thought the man had been glued to his fucking post, from the way he'd just been sitting, sitting, sitting there…the man went over to that strange door at the side of the room, followed by a woman dressed entirely in blue.

It was then he saw them.

A young woman with light blue hair cautiously went through the door, tugging nervously on the arm of a tall teenage male with black hair. Their faces were turned away, so he didn't get a good look. Next, another pair went through the door, one of them being a boy about the same height as the teenager. This boy's face was covered by a hood, but the small girl that clung to his arm was inescapable to his memory.

It was that girl from the cave, the girl that managed to shield herself from his blasts…

Ryoushi shot up from his seat just as the girl disappeared through the door. He tried to run after them, but the entrance slammed shut in his face, and he heard several locks clicking in place as footsteps echoed weakly through the steel door.

_NO! Not like this!_

The bounty hunter considered blasting the door down, but he had never used his powers on metal before, nor did he know how long the process would take. Growling, he pounded his fists against the metal, denting it slightly as he swore at his accursed luck.

"Fuck! Fuck this! Fuck, fuck, _fuck_!" His anger increased when two bald men behind him laughed.

"What'dya think you're gonna do?" one of the men sneered. He wiped some beer off of his black leather pants before he gave Ryoushi a smirk. "Bust your way into the Brawl-Out? You need approval by Daemon himself before you can even go through the door, and you need two more people on your team before you even _think_ about going near the tournament."

"Tournament?" Ryoushi gave the bald men a questioning stare as he made his way over to their table. "What tournament?"

"The Shigaisen Brawl-Out!" the other man cried. "It's the only good thing about this shithole of a town. We—" he indicated to himself and the other man "—were gonna enter with our boss, but some bitch and a little girl knocked him out a while ago. He's useless now."

"Did this little girl have dark blue hair?" Ryoushi asked. "And goldish eyes?"

The men stared at each other, and shrugged. "Dunno," the first man replied. "We didn't really get a good look...but if we see her again, we can remember."

"She was really _tiny_ though," the second man said thoughtfully. "And she asked the stupidest questions…she looks like she's eight. She can't be older than ten, I know that much."

Ryoushi suppressed a bitter smile. So, he hadn't been hallucinating about the girl's strength. This would certainly get interesting. Slowly, an idea formed in his head. "Gentlemen," he said calmly. "Do you still wish to enter this…Shigaisen Brawl-Out?"

The men grinned. "Hell yeah!" the first man cried. "We'd love that! But we don't have our third member."

"Now you do." Ryoushi extended his hand. "Ryoushi Ganjou, at your service."

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

Jiro squinted through the dim light, trying to see his way through the dark.

The door led to a tunnel…a tunnel that was dimly lit and surprisingly long. He didn't mind at first, because this sort of darkness wasn't as bad as the darkness in Crystal Caves, but eventually, it became very irritating. Gods, he wanted some light, now!

His sister had gone on ahead with the merchant woman and Daemon, leaving him in the back with Sachiko and the freak. He wouldn't have minded this, and would almost have _enjoyed_ it…if it wasn't for the fact that Sachiko was clinging to the freak like a clump of seaweed. She was obviously afraid of the dark, and had no qualms about reaching for the first person in sight for comfort. And of course, it had to be the freak.

He hated the fact that this bothered him.

"How's your shoulder, Sachiko?" Jiro asked, breaking the tense silence between them. "Does it still hurt?" He heard Sachiko gulp nervously before she began to speak.

"A little," she squeaked out, giving him a scared expression.

"Maybe you shouldn't fight Sachi-chan," Kargo said, his face filled with concern. "Me and rich boy here can handle the fighting. You still have to recover. You're our top priority right now."

_In more ways than one_, Jiro thought privately.

"Don't worry about me," Sachiko replied as she looked around the darkness worriedly. "We need to get the dragonball first!" Her grip tightened on Kargo's arm, and Jiro caught a small smile on the Namek's face from underneath his hood.

_Bastard!_

"We don't want it at your expense," Jiro growled, his fists clenching slightly. He walked over to Sachiko and grabbed her free arm. "Come on! We're falling behind." He pulled harshly, and Sachiko shrieked in pain.

"OW!" Sachiko yelped, and pulled her left arm out of Jiro's grasp. "That's my bad arm, Jiro! Be _careful_!"

"Yeah, idiot!" Kargo yelled, glaring at him. "Be careful!"

Sachiko sniffed and massaged her shoulder as Jiro stared at her in horror and guilt. They continued the rest of the way in silence, until they reached another steel door. They watched as Daemon rhythmically knocked on the metal, before the door swung open, allowing light to flood into the dark tunnel.

Jiro shielded his eyes; Sachiko and Kargo did the same. When their vision finally adjusted to the increased light, they opened their eyes and saw a young woman with dark blonde hair. Dressed in a black suit, she held a clipboard to her face and did not seem to notice them as she talked to three skimpily dressed women, all holding a weapon of some sort.

"Team Yu-Ri-Pa," the woman in the suit muttered. "Yu for Yuna, Ri for Rikku, and Pa for Paine. You're all set." The skimpily dressed women nodded, and headed off towards another door, located in the corner of the brightly lit room.

Jiro blinked. The woman in the suit seemed familiar…

"New team, Daemon?" The woman asked without looking up from her clipboard. Jiro frowned this time. That voice…

"Brunhilda!" Hideaki suddenly shouted. The woman dropped her clipboard in shock, and it was then Jiro remembered. Their old housemaid!

"M-m-miss Kutai!" Brunhilda stared at her and Jiro in shock, her eyes darting between them. "W-w-what are you doing here?"

"You know them, Miss A. Nouncer?" Daemon asked curiously.

"Know them? I used to _work_ for them!" Brunhilda turned her gaze to Sachiko, who stared at her innocently. The woman immediately paled, and shrieked, "IT'S THE ZOMBIE CHILD! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGH!" She turned tail and ran as fast as she could out of the room.

"Wait!" Sachiko cried out. "I'm not a zombie! I don't even know what a zombie is!" She paused for a moment, before turning towards Jiro and asking, "Jiro? What's a zombie?"

Jiro's eye twitched slightly. "Sachiko, are you friggin' retarded?"

"Huh?"

"…okay," Vhana said, sweatdropping. "Maybe we should begin tha' registerin' process, Little Baby."

"I'll do it," Daemon said, and picked up the clipboard that Brunhilda dropped.

"What about the screaming lady?" Sachiko asked sadly. "What's she gonna do now?"

Daemon snorted. "She's the announcer, kid. She'll be back." He took out a pen from the inside of his coat, and asked, "Team name?"

"Kutai, Jiro," Hideaki stated. "Muzai, Sachiko and…err…Greenbean, Kargo?"

Kargo's jaw dropped. "GREENBEAN?" he yelled, as Jiro snickered.

"I didn't want the names of the entrants," Daemon explained impatiently. "I wanted the name of the team. What's the _team_ name?"

"Team name? Um…" Hideaki stared at the three youths, who in turn huddled up into a small circle with their arms around each other. (With the exception of Kargo and Jiro…They absolutely refused to link arms with one another.)

"Okay," Kargo whispered. "We should have thought of this sooner…"

Jiro thought for a moment, before he whispered, "How about Team Kutai?"

"Fuck no!" Kargo hissed back. "That's named after you!"

Jiro glared at the Namek. "Oh really? What do you suggest, freak?"

"Um…Team Dragon? You know…for the dragonballs?"

"That's lame."

"_You're _lame!"

"_Today_, children," Daemon said, his tone becoming increasingly annoyed.

Jiro watched Sachiko scratched her head. Then, she smiled at them cutely, and whispered, "How about we do what those strangely dressed women did? How about we take the first parts of our names, and mush it together to form one really cool name!"

Both Jiro and Kargo exchanged glances, before Kargo asked, "You mean, like Ka-Sa-Ji?"

"No, no!" Sachiko shook her head. "Say it fast! One word! Kasaji!"

Jiro thought for a moment, before he smirked. "Okay," he said. "I'll go with that idea. But let's switch up the name a bit, shall we? How about Jisaka?"

Sachiko blinked. "Um…"

"That puts your name first!" Kargo hissed. "And mine _last_!"

"That was the point, dumbass!" Jiro snapped back.

"How come my name's always in the middle?" Sachiko complained, which reduced the two bickering boys to silence.

"Little Baby!" Vhana called. "What's the problem, lassie? We do no' have all day!"

"Just a minute, Vhana-san!" Sachiko replied sweetly, before she suddenly yelped as Hideaki appeared, and pulled the small girl out of the group huddle.

"What are you three doing?" the older girl said angrily as she held Sachiko firmly by the right arm. "We need a name, and we need it _now_! This isn't a time to chat and socialize!"

"We're not _chatting_, bitch!" Jiro snapped.

"Don't call me that! I'm NOT a BITCH!" Hideaki shrieked, unknowingly shaking Sachiko in her fury.

"ENOUGH!" Kargo yelled, pulling the now dizzy Sachiko out of Hideaki's grasp. "Rich boy, Sachi-chan, there's only one way to settle this properly."

Sachiko looked up drunkenly at Kargo. "Y-you mean…"

The Namek nodded.

"Are you saying…" Jiro asked uncertainly.

The Namek nodded.

The three youths stared at each other for a moment, as if waiting for confirmation for what they were about to do. Then, suddenly, they all stuck out their fists and yelled, "ROCK, PAPER, SCISSORS!"

"WAAAH!" Hideaki, Vhana, and even Daemon all fell face-first to the ground. "Wha' in the seven circles o' Hell is _this_?" Vhana cried out.

"HOO-RAY!" Sachiko squealed. "Paper beats Rock! I win! My name gets to go first!"

Hideaki looked up from the floor. Sure enough, Sachiko held up a completely open palm as Kargo and Jiro stuck out two closed fists. "Paper covers Rock-heads," she muttered. "Heh…heh."

Kargo and Jiro looked flabbergasted—neither had expected Sachiko to win. They turned to each other, frowning, and stuck out their fists again. "ROCK, PAPER, SCISSORS!"

Two rocks. Tie.

"ROCK, PAPER, SCISSORS!"

Two scissors. Tie.

"ROCK, PAPER, SCISSORS!"

Two papers. Tie.

"ROCK, PAPER, SCISSORS!"

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

"Team Sakaji it is," Daemon said, writing the name down on the clipboard. "_Finally_."

As Kargo smiled smugly, Sachiko glanced at Jiro, who had a very sour look on his face. "Cheer up, Jiro!" she said, taking his hand and immediately feeling him stiffen. "We can switch the name around next time, so that your name goes first!"

Jiro yanked his hand away and scowled at her. "Forget it," he mumbled. "We're not gonna come back here after we get the dragonball anyway. And stop being so cheerful! Your mood swings are irritating and contagious!"

"He has a point there," Kargo muttered.

Sachiko giggled. "I guess this means that your weirdness feelings are gone?" she asked hopefully. "You two seem like your normal selves again."

Kargo laughed nervously, as Jiro scoffed and looked away.

"Well, I'm off," Daemon said. "I gotta go back to the pub. Might be some more entrants." He headed for the dark tunnel, before he stopped and turned to Vhana. "So…a hundred thousand on the runts to win, right?"

Vhana nodded. "Exactly."

"Hmm. Okay then." Daemon opened the steel door and left, whistling eerily as he disappeared in the darkness. When he was out of sight, Hideaki turned to Vhana with a shocked look.

"You _bet_ on them?" she cried. "Is this why you wanted them to enter the tournament? So that you can _bet_ on them?"

" 'Course!" Vhana exclaimed. "Have ya no' seen their strength? They ken easily win the tournament! And because Daemon put their odds as one out o' two hundred, I'll make a fortune when they win!"

Hideaki seemed beside herself. "Why—why you—why you shrewd—"

"Ya ken bet too," Vhana cajoled.

The younger woman stopped, and thought for a moment. "Hmm…"

"Besides, consider tha' tournament as payment for the orb! Here." Vhana tossed the dragonball to Hideaki. "Ya ken have it. Just promise meh tha' ya'll win."

"We'll win, Vhana-san!" Sachiko said in a determined voice. "We'll fight together, and we'll win our way to the top!" She pumped her fist into the air, causing Kargo and Jiro to sweatdrop. With a strange glint in her eye, she grabbed their hands and cried, "We're off! Let's win this Brawl-Out, guys! TO THE ARENA!" With that, she sped off, dragging Kargo and Jiro behind her as if they were rag dolls.

Hideaki and Vhana watched all this with uneasy (this was Hideaki) and amused (this was Vhana) looks. "Tha' Little Baby is quite the interestin' one," Vhana commented. Hideaki sighed, and shook her head.

"Lady, you have no idea…"

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

Daemon opened the steel door to the pub, only to find three men waiting for him on the other end. He recognized two of them as members of the Viper Brothers, but the third man, a brown-haired man in a black trench coat, was unfamiliar. "Can I help you?" Daemon asked.

The man in the trench coat smiled. "Why, you most certainly can. We'd like to enter the Shigaisen Brawl-Out. We're the Viper Team."

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

**(Kargo and Jiro lie on the ground, their stomachs bloated, their mouths and hands coated with chocolate)**

**Kargo: (Belches)**

**Jiro: Heeheehee…me like kisses.**

**Sachiko: (Holds empty bag of Kisses)…uh-oh. Maybe I gave them too much. OH WELL! (To the readers) Next time, we face off against the other teams…Hey! I wanna fight too! What's wrong with you guys? Why won't you let me fight?**

**Kargo: (groans) As you can see, the popularity contest a few chapters ago was to determine our team name here. Because me and Jiro were tied, our author flipped a coin to determine the winner.**

**Jiro: Heeheehee…me like kisses.**

**Kargo: …moron.**

**Read and review.**


	29. Chains

Kargo: TURMOIL owns nothing. So there.

Sachiko: Wow. We've reached 29 chapters!

Jiro: (Hiccups, then laughs drunkenly) Heeheehee.

Sachiko: Kargo? Is Jiro okay? He hasn't been himself since he ate all those chocolate kisses I gave him last chapter…

Kargo: I dunno. Let me see. (Takes out "Author's List of Forbidden Foods for Sachiko, Kargo, and Jiro") Hmm. Uh-huh. (Stops reading, then freezes) Uh-oh.

Sachiko: What is it?

Kargo: It says here that Jiro gets ridiculously hyper when exposed to large amounts of sugar, and should avoid eating candy at all costs…or else he becomes extremely out of character.

Sachiko: What do you mean—OH! (Gets glomped from behind by Jiro)

Jiro: (Hiccups) Heeheehee…Lo' Sachi.

Sachiko: (Nervous) Um…hi?

Kargo: …

Jiro: Purdy hair. (Rests head on Sachiko's shoulder)

Sachiko: Um! K-kargo-kun! I'm getting scared!

Kargo: …GET OFF OF SACHI-CHAN, YOU BASTARD! (Charges at Jiro, ends up knocking everyone to the floor)

**_Chapter Twenty-Nine: Chains_**

"Lassie, it's just a wee little betting. What's the harm in tha'?"

Hideaki frowned at Vhana, before staring at the amount of cash in her fist. "My brother and I…we don't have that much money left," she finally said. "I'm just not comfortable with the idea of betting it all away. And…I dunno…I'm just worried about the others. Something could go wrong." An image of Sachiko in her Berserker mode popped into her mind, and Hideaki shivered. A crazy Sachiko was the last thing they needed at the moment.

"Come now! Have ye no' seen Little Baby in action? She an' her boys are amazin'! I've never seen even grown men tha' strong in meh life!"

Hideaki sighed, and turned away from the overenthusiastic woman. "Never mind. You wouldn't understand." _No one would understand,_ her mind whispered. _How can any one explain that a sweet, seemingly innocent child could turn into a bloodthirsty monster? No one must find out. No one. I only hope that Kargo and Jiro can keep her from overexerting herself…_

"I-is something wrong, Miss Kutai?"

The young woman turned to find a quivering, shaking Brunhilda staring at her worriedly. Hideaki's dark mood dissipated at the nerve-wracked look on her former maid's face, and she managed to force a small smile. "No, Brunhilda…I'm okay. I'm glad to see that you've calmed down—um, somewhat."

"Heh." The blonde rubbed the back of her head embarrassedly, her face turning slightly red. "Forgive me for my earlier behavior. It's just that…when I quit, I honestly believed that the little girl was a murder victim of your mother."

"Pssh!" Hideaki waved a hand in the air in dismissal. "Please! You're not the only one who thinks that way, believe me. My mother is so loony that she'd probably poison every girl in the city to keep them away from Jiro."

"O-oh my…"

Hideaki turned to see Brunhilda paling to the color of skim milk. "But she's not completely insane!" Hideaki added hastily. "She won't do it, because even _her_ connections wouldn't get her out of jail! Hahaha…" Hideaki laughed nervously as Brunhilda managed to give her a twitchy smile. "Hahaha…SO! What are you doing here?" Hideaki asked, desperately trying to change the subject.

"Um…um…I just became an official announcer and referee for public fights. T-this is my first assignment. I've always wanted to be a referee, you know." Brunhilda looked away in embarrassment again.

"Oh! I didn't know you wanted to be an announcer person!" Hideaki exclaimed.

"It's true," Brunhilda said, her tone becoming more cheerful. "My ancestor, the great 'Mr. Announcer' started refereeing Tenkaichi Budokais since he was a teenager about six hundred years ago. He saw many great fights, and met so many wonderful martial artists…" Brunhilda sighed. "He's my inspiration. I want to be just like him! Look! I even carry his picture with me _everywhere_!" The dark blonde immediately took an ancient, wrinkled photograph out of her pocket, and showed it to Hideaki…

…who suddenly had to resist the urge to gawk.

The picture was of a young man with dark blonde hair that was smoothed back with gel. His eyes were covered by large black shades, and he had a rather large, protruding nose. He was wearing a black suit, and had a microphone in his hand as he waved to the camera.

In all honesty, he wasn't at all handsome, or even charismatic to the eye…and for some creepy reason, he looked like a male version of Brunhilda. Not that she was unattractive, or anything…

"He looks very…announcer-like," Hideaki said, giving her former maid a gritted smile. "I'm sure he was a _unique_ man of his day."

"I know!" Brunhilda squealed, staring at the photograph admirably.

"But, um, what about him do you find admirable?" the blue-haired girl asked, immediately regretting it when the dark blonde's eyes began to shine.

"Oh… he started out in _very_ humble beginnings…"

Hideaki and Brunhilda walked towards the stadium—Brunhilda chatting happily, while Hideaki tried not to give in to her urge to run away. In her daze, she tripped on her own two feet and fell hard on her right arm, hitting the floor with a loud CRUNCH!

Wait a minute. Crunch? Oh no.

Hideaki pulled her pink sleeve back, and stuffed her fist into her mouth to stop herself from screaming at what she saw on her wrist.

The Vidwatch…the Dragon Radar Vidwatch…was broken.

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

In the underground stadium, large lights hung from the center of the ceiling, illuminating the gigantic white arena set directly in the middle of the chamber. Underneath the lights was a large cube, each side composed of a television screen. Thousands of stone aisles filled the space around the arena, starting from the ground level and rising to hundreds of feet in the air.

Already many of the seats were taken, mostly by promiscuous women, pimps, and gangs that had been too afraid to enter the tournament themselves. A loud buzz echoed through the stadium as they talked amongst themselves.

Very few of the spectators were honest-to-goodness citizens of Shigaisen.

"WOW!"

Sachiko stared at her surroundings in awe, her eyes almost rolling out of her head in her efforts to see everything at once. This was a new environment, a completely different atmosphere for her. She strangely loved it.

The rules for the tournament, though there were few, were a bit odd. One person from each team started the fight. If one person was knocked out, then another person from the knockout's team had to take his place. However, the person who won earlier had to stay in the ring and fight until _he_ got knocked out, and then…

Ow. Brain cramp.

Still holding onto Kargo and Jiro's hands, she ran to the edge of the arena, stopping when the white stone was only inches away from her face. With her head just barely peeking over the top of the arena, she turned to Kargo and Jiro with a grin. "Isn't this exciting?" she squealed. "This is our first _real_ fight! Not just a regular spar, but a real, honest to goodness match! Just like Goku-san and Pikkon-san, with their Otherworld Tournament!"

Jiro snorted. He was obviously not as pleased with the surroundings. "You act as if we won the fucking lottery. This is a dump."

"It is not a dump! Um…what's the lottery?"

"Ugh," Kargo groaned, his eyes straying to some of the other groups that were hanging around the arena. His gaze lingering on each team quickly, he noted that many had weapons of some sort. With the exception of the all-female team and his own little posse, most of the other groups were composed of only men. All were large and muscular. All had looks of greed and cruelty in their eyes. "Ugh," he groaned again.

"Ooh!" Sachiko cried, letting go of Jiro's hand to point at the television cube. "Look at that! There's a big picture floating in the air!" She stared at the television screen in wonder as an image slowly began to appear. She knew now not to attack the television. Back when they had been living in the stone house, Hideaki had informed her many, many times that television screens were not the work of Amatsu, the God of Evil, and that they could actually be useful in certain situations.

_Well, just as long as Grandfather never finds out about this, I'm okay._

Slowly, the image cleared, and the trio saw two pictures; one of themselves, and another of a group that was composed of three men. They were all wearing sunglasses, they were all shirtless, and they were all smiling in an arrogant, cold manner.

Suddenly, the buzz of the spectators died down. Thousands of eyes stared at the pictures on the cube in shock, including those competing. Then, a loud roar erupted.

"What is this crap?"

"Is this some sort of joke?"

"What, are they trying to get kids killed now? Hah! And they say us pimps are bad!"

Sachiko gulped as the other team on the screen turned to their direction and pointed at them. One of the shirtless men lowered his sunglasses to get a better look at her, before he shook his head. Sachiko blinked. Was there something wrong?

Out of the corner of her eye, Sachiko saw Brunhilda suddenly run into the stadium, one hand smoothing out her dark blonde hair as the other clutched at a microphone. There was a group behind her, a group dressed in black, but before Sachiko could get a good look, the blonde announcer yelled into her mike, "Sorry for the delay folks! And welcome to the 20th Shigaisen Brawl-Out! I'm Brunhilda A. Nouncer, and I'll be your host for what's sure to be a…err…_interesting_ match up!" Sachiko saw Brunhilda wince as the crowds began to yell again.

"What match?"

"Those kids are gonna get killed!"

"We may be scum, but we ain't baby murderers!"

Sachiko watched as Brunhilda took a deep breath, before her face hardened. "LISTEN!" she yelled, shocking the entire stadium into silence. "There are no real rules to this Brawl-Out! Granted, three children have never entered this tournament before, but there are no restrictions that bar them from entering! Now, either sit down and shut up, or LEAVE!"

For a moment, everyone, including the three youths, was too stunned to even breathe. But slowly, the crowds quieted down with their heads slightly lowered, not daring to upset Brunhilda again.

The dark blonde smiled at this reaction, and resumed a polite stance. "Okay then! First up is Team Sakaji versus Team Crushem! Let's give it, people!"

The crowds murmured softly as several men, all dressed in dark suits like Brunhilda, walk onto the arena with chains in their hands. Sachiko stared at the chains, puzzled. What on earth were they for?

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

"Oh gods," Hideaki mumbled, as Daemon wrote down her bet. Before, she had seen three black-clad men walk past with Brunhilda, but she didn't care. Just another stupid gang after all, right?

"Fifty thousand on the runts," Daemon muttered. He sat back and gave Hideaki a hard look. "Seriously…what's so special about those rugrats? If you think those assholes are gonna go easy on them just because they're kids, you got another thing coming."

"Just bet the damn money," Hideaki hissed. "And keep this a secret!"

Daemon snorted. "Touchy," he sneered, but he took the money anyway. Hideaki sighed, and buried her head in her hands.

_What am I going to do? How am I going to tell them?_

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

Kargo's thoughts were on Sachiko.

He could not let her fight. If she got hurt, and if she lost her temper like last time, he didn't know whether he and Jiro could stop her again. He loved her more than life, but in that devilish state, she was a creature of Hell.

That was why when Brunhilda motioned for one of them to step up for the first fight, Kargo immediately leaped onto the arena before Sachiko.

"Hey!" Sachiko protested. "I wanna fight!"

"Your arm, Sachi-chan," Kargo chided, bending down to pat her on the head. "It's still hurt. We should wait until later for you to fight."

"But Kargo-kun!" Sachiko pleaded. "I can fight just using my other arm! It's okay! Really!"

"_No_," Kargo said firmly. With that, he turned and walked towards the center of the arena where Brunhilda and one of the shirtless men were waiting. He didn't look back, half-knowing that Sachiko was pouting up a storm in an attempt to get him to change his mind. When he finally reached his opponent, the men in black suddenly grabbed his arms and shackled his wrists with the chains.

"HEY! What the hell are you doing?" Kargo yelled, swiping at one of the men.

Brunhilda grabbed his flailing arm and whispered quickly, "Each round has a certain environmental condition! For this round, the two competitors are chained to one another, so that their moving space is limited."

"What, the arena wasn't enough?" Kargo spat. Brunhilda sighed as she pulled at his chains, making sure that they wouldn't come off easily.

The Namek growled, and looked down at his bonds. There was a shackle on each wrist, but his arms weren't chained _together_, for each shackle came from a separate chain. He looked towards the ends of the chains, and groaned when he saw his opponent attached to the other side of the restraints.

_Wonderful_, he thought sarcastically._ Extremely close-range fighting! Whoop-de-freakin'-DO!_

The shirtless man suddenly snorted as he gave Kargo an up-and-down stare. The man turned to Brunhilda, and said arrogantly, "'The Rock' feels conflicted about fighting a _child_ covered in green body paint. 'The Rock' would like a _real_ challenger to fight, or else 'The Rock' will be very displeased."

Kargo growled, and clutched at his chains. "What's the matter, 'The Pudding'?" he taunted. "Too chicken to fight me? Afraid you'll lose to a kid?" Kargo smirked when he saw the man's eye twitch.

"The green child will do well to keep his mouth shut," the man said, his hand twitching on the handle of his mace. "If not, 'The Rock' will not be responsible for his actions."

"Buck-buck!" Kargo began to flap his arms, and moved his head rapidly forward and back like that of a chicken's. "You chicken! Buck-buck!"

"SILENCE!" The Rock yelled, and Kargo's smirk widened.

_Gotcha_.

The Rock turned to Brunhilda with an enraged expression. "'The Rock' is over his conflicted feelings! 'The Rock' would like for the round to begin, so that 'The Rock' can beat this asshole punk to oblivion!"

"Um…right." Brunhilda stepped away from the chained fighters, and yelled out, "The first fight of Round One is about to begin! Fighters, are you ready? Are you set? FIGHT!"

The Rock immediately charged at him, swinging his mace in the air. Kargo tried to jump back as the mace swung towards his head, but the chain jerked at his wrist, shortening his intended distance.

WHACK!

The mace collided with his left cheek, and Kargo staggered slightly as the top of the mace broke off. "OW!" he yelled, rubbing his cheek. "What the fuck was that for, you asshole?" He glared at The Rock as the shirtless man stared at him in disbelief.

"What the hell? 'The Rock' should have pulverized the green child's puny skull! 'The Rock' does not believe what he is seeing! 'The Rock' is very distraught at his broken mace!" The man held up the remains of the weapon in shock, unaware of Kargo's increasingly annoyed look.

"Shut up!" Kargo yelled, his eye slightly twitching. He grabbed the ends of his chains and _pulled_, sending The Rock hurtling towards him. Just before the man collided with him, Kargo stuck out his foot, grunting as it sunk deep into the man's stomach.

The Rock choked, and the Namek used his other foot to kick the man in the face, forcing the man away from him. Then, he yanked on the chain again and kicked the man in the stomach, before kicking him away once more…

On and on it went. Pull, kick, kick, pull, kick, kick, pull…it slowly became monotonous as the crowds began to gasp, then cheer in shocked surprise…it slowly became somewhat pleasing when he heard Sachiko laugh and cheer him on…it slowly became more of a chore then a fight, and he was glad when Brunhilda suddenly shouted out, "That's enough! The Rock is clearly out of commission! Team Sakaji wins the first round!"

The crowds cheered, this time louder. Well…at least they weren't complaining anymore.

"Alright, Kargo-kun!" he heard Sachiko squeal. He turned and saw her hanging on the edge of the arena, waving one hand in the air. "Go go go! Win the whole thing! I know you can do it!"

Kargo smiled and turned away, trying to hide a blush.

"Second match of Round One is about to begin!" Brunhilda yelled, as the men in black removed the comatose Rock and set the shackles on another man, this one much more muscular. "Fighters, are you ready? Are you set? FIGHT!"

"'The Boulder' will get revenge for his brother!" the muscleman yelled, as Kargo groaned at the prospect of fighting another man who spoke in the third person. "Be prepared, kid, to get buried in 'The Boulder's' special attack—THE ROCK PUMMEL!"

With that, the man bent down and, using his bare hands, ripped out a large chunk of the stone arena. Holding the rock high above his head, The Boulder grinned at Kargo. "Scared yet, punk?"

Kargo didn't answer. Instead, he leapt into the air at high speed and kicked at the man's arms before The Boulder knew what hit him. The man's grip on the rock slipped, and the stone ended up crashing into the man's skull. His eyes became dazed, and The Boulder fell face-first to the ground. He didn't move.

"W-winner?" Brunhilda stammered, her eyes not entirely sure of what they saw. "S-second fight goes to T-team Sakaji…"

Kargo yawned, and rubbed his wrists as The Boulder was dragged away.

"Two for two!" Sachiko yelled from the sidelines, until Jiro smacked her upside the head.

"Stop cheering for him!" Kargo heard the human teen yell. "His opponents were stupid and weak, anyway!"

"Don't you tell her what to do!" Kargo shouted back. "She can cheer as much as she wants!" _For me anyway_, he added privately.

"Shut up, freak!"

"Make me, rich boy!"

Why I outta—"

Meanwhile, Brunhilda talked to the last conscious member of Team Crushem. She nodded her head a few times, before she looked up and cleared her throat. "Attention!" she said loudly. "I've just received word that the remaining member of Team Crushem is forfeiting the last fight! So, advancing to the next round by default is Team Sakaji!"

"WHAT?" Kargo stared at Brunhilda in shock. "But why?" He turned to the last shirtless man…and sweatdropped.

The guy looked absolutely terrified of him…

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

**Sachiko: Short chapter, I know! But TURMOIL-san and her family are going on a vacation tomorrow, and there are no computers there! No internet connection, no nothing! So…don't kill us! Um, next time, it's Jiro versus Team Yu-Ri-Pa! What the…you can't do that! Jiro! NO!**

**Jiro: (Knocked out with a HUGE lump on his head)**

**Kargo: (Holds a broken club) Heh. That'll teach him to show affection to my Sachi-chan…**

**Sachiko: Did you say something, Kargo?**

**Kargo: No!**


	30. Quicksand

Sachiko: TURMOIL-san doesn't own the DB universe. That's so sad. (sniffs)

Kargo: Oh, and on a side note…there are some OOCness with the Final Fantasy people because our idiotic authoress didn't really like FFX-2…and because she could care less about what the FF "purist" harpies have to say. This is a DB fic, not an FF one. (To Sachiko) Yeesh, this chapter took a long time. What the heck was the delay for?

Sachiko: Well, she said that she lost some inspiration for the story, mostly because of school. Now she's so unhappy…she even said she lost the will to eat chocolate cake! _Chocolate cake_!

Jiro: (Regains consciousness) Ow…what hit me?

Kargo: (Hides broken club behind his back) You tripped over your own feet and landed on your itty-bitty brain.

Sachiko: Teehee. Itty-bitty.

Jiro: Ugh. I don't remember anything…

Sachiko: Hey, Jiro! Did you really think I had pretty hair?

Jiro: (Completely freaked) W-what? HOW DID YOU FIND OUT? _WHO TOLD YOU_? (Calms down) I mean…I think it's passable. Not the worst I've seen.

Sachiko: Kargo-kun! See? He doesn't think my hair is pretty! He thinks it's pass-able! You have nothing to worry about—OOPS! Bathroom break! Gotta tinkle! (Runs off)

Kargo: Hmph. For the sake of his health, it better be true.

Jiro: (Snorts) Like you can actually kill me. TURMOIL would erase you from existence.

Kargo: True, but you don't seem to know our authoress very well. Lookee at what she's given me, 'cause my birthday's coming up. (Takes out "TURMOIL's Keyboard") With this, I can turn you into anything I want, with the type of a few buttons…

Jiro: You lie.

Kargo: Hmm. (types)

Jiro: Hey. HEY! What the hell are you—(turns into pork bun)

Sachiko: I'm back from tinkling! Hey Kargo, where's Ji—OH COOL! A delicious looking pork bun that has Jiro's face on it, that doesn't look suspicious whatsoever!

Jiro/Pork Bun: (sweatdrops)

**_Chapter Thirty: Quicksand_**

"Those were the three stupidest matches I've ever seen in my life," Jiro snarled, stomping back into the waiting room with Sachiko and Kargo walking quickly behind him.

UGH! He couldn't take it! Stupid tournament! Stupid green freak! Stupid Sachiko for making him so stupidly soft with his stupid _fucking_ feelings!

The minute Kargo had stepped off the arena, Sachiko had practically flown into the freak's arms, babbling happily about how exciting the whole tournament was, and how impressed she was that he had finished the fights so quickly. During the girl's moment of insane praising for the freak, she had completely forgotten about _him_. Again. AGAIN! Some friendship this was!

When he chose to disappear before the next two groups of fighters were announced, Sachiko (and reluctantly, Kargo) chased after him, the small girl wailing for him to come back to the stadium, so that they could observe the other groups. The freak remained quiet and only glared at him, obviously a little pissed off for the lack of support on Jiro's part.

Pfft. The day he emotionally supported the freak on _anything_ would be the day the universe was on the brink of destruction.

He felt a weight suddenly attach itself to his arm as he finally entered the brightly-lit waiting room. Looking down, he saw Sachiko clamped onto his limb, her good arm wrapped like a snake around his. Jiro's brow rose—she usually only clung to the freak in this manner. However, the pursed lips and the look of annoyance in her eyes told him that she wasn't clinging to him for the reasons he wanted.

"Jiro!" she scolded. "We should go back! The winner of this match is who _we_ have to fight next! We should at least see what their strategy is!"

"Feh," Jiro snorted, and tried to pull his arm out of her grasp. "If the freak can beat all those guys by himself, then I can too. I've finally gotten a pretty good handle on this stupid ki crap, and I know for a fact that he and I are on pretty even levels."

"But…" Sachiko pouted, and loosened her hold on his arm. "I'm also going to fight, and _I_ wanna see these two groups." She paused for a moment, before slowly asking, "I…I _am_ going to fight…right?"

"Um…" Jiro suddenly caught sight of Kargo making aggravated hand motions behind Sachiko's back, his mouth forming a "NO!" shape as he swung his arms around. Jiro gave him a confused look as Kargo frowned, then began to give him an evil look and he laughed (silently) in a maniacal manner. When Kargo put his thumb and forefinger together, and moved them to the side, Jiro suddenly understood.

"Uh, no offense Sachiko, but maybe I should handle this myself." Jiro patted her on the head, trying not to wince when Sachiko gave him a shocked and horrified look. "I-It's too soon for you to be fighting…I mean, your arm—ack!" Jiro yelped when Sachiko grabbed his face and pulled him down so that they were at eye level.

"My arm's fine!" Sachiko cried, not realizing that Jiro's entire face had gone red at their sudden closeness (or that Kargo looked somewhat pissed). "I wanna fight! It's not gonna hurt my arm! Really!" Her eyes began to well with tears, and her bottom lip quivered on a dangerous level.

Because their physical closeness only magnified the effect of her teary plea, Jiro almost caved in at the desperate and hurt look on Sachiko's face. Almost. However, the memory of that crazed creature from the Susanoo village gave him some resolve, as well as the will to pull away from her hold.

"Sachiko," he said in a low voice, "this is for your own good. I'm sorry, but I don't think that you're in any condition to fight. Even the freak agrees with me…and we never agree on anything, because that usually leads to one of us trying to rip the other's testicles out."

"Uh-huh," Kargo agreed, nodding solemnly.

Sachiko looked at both of them, her eyes becoming more and more watery. She sniffed once…twice…before she hung her head, and walked slowly towards the stadium, shoulders slumped.

The sight was unbearable for his poor mind.

_Oh gods. She looks so…No! I must be strong! No woman-child shall conquer me! I am Jiro, the heir to Capsule Corporation! I have power over all!_

"Nobody believes in me," he heard Sachiko whimper from the hallway.

_Ah, fuck._

"Hey, laddies!" Vhana greeted loudly as she suddenly appeared in the waiting room. She slapped Kargo on the shoulder, and grinned. "Tha' was a great bout o' fightin' lad! Rate yer goin' now, ya could win tha' whole tournament!"

The Namek gave the merchant a bleak smile. "That's…that's what we're going for," he said weakly.

"Absolutely! But…where's Little Baby? I was hopin' ta talk with the lass bout something Miss Hideaki told meh…"

"What is it?" Jiro asked, wondering why Hideaki didn't just come to see them herself.

"Well, the big lass is a wee bit upset over tha' Vidwatch on her wrist…she broke it, ya know, and she's been bawlin' her eyes out for a while now—eh? Are ya boys okay? Ya two're lookin' a bit pale…"

For a moment, neither Jiro nor Kargo could say anything. Then…

"WHAAAAAAAAAAAAT?"

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

Sachiko sniffed as she walked back towards the stadium, alone.

_There's no reason to go back_, her mind whispered. _You're not going to fight…Jiro and Kargo-kun won't let you, remember? Remember? You're wasting your time…_Ugh. She should stop thinking. Thinking was depressing. Her head hung low as she re-entered the stadium.

The smell of water awoke her senses. Sachiko looked up, and gasped.

The arena, originally made of stone, was now a large cube of _water_, the cube held in place against the laws of gravity by an invisible field generated by technologies that were still a mystery to the small girl. In the water, rising above the top surface of the cube, were several stone pillars, obviously meant to serve as landing spots for the fighters. Swimming in the water were crocodiles.

And then, just like that, everything changed back. Holes appeared on the bottom floor of the cube, and the water drained away to an unknown location in the stadium. The pillars sank down to the ground, and once the water was all drained away, the remaining parts of the original stone floor rose back up. The pillars sank and the remaining parts of the original floor rose until the bits of stone once again formed the original arena.

Sachiko blinked, her brain unsure of how the changes were made. She turned her head to the side, and saw one of the men in black at an operation panel, pressing several buttons at a rapid pace.

Technology. What a strange, man-made phenomenon!

"And the winner is…Team Yu-Ri-Pa!" Brunhilda yelled from the arena, raising the arm of a young woman dressed in black, who had dark hair that had grayish streaks. Behind this woman were two other women; one blonde and dressed in what appeared to be a yellow bikini top and shorts, the other with shoulder-length brown hair, dressed in a skimpy white-and-blue outfit with—ugh—_guns_ at her sides. All were beautiful and impressive in an individual way, and for a moment, Sachiko forgot her depression to admire them.

_Wow. They're so pretty-ful…_

She turned her head towards the pile of unconscious men heaped into the corner, right next to the men Kargo had knocked out earlier. Sachiko sweatdropped; the men were roughed up severely, whereas the women looked as if they had barely broke a sweat.

_Oh sweet mother of Amaterasu! They're pretty-ful and STRONG! _

This wasn't good. These women could very well have some knowledge of ki, or assistance from the gods of some sort—how else were they able to win so effortlessly? The worst part was that they had missed their only chance to observe them. And they had to fight them next! Darn it, she should have just watched the match herself!

"Oh fudgecookies!" Sachiko shouted, pouting as she stomped her foot into the ground. Unfortunately, this drew the attention of Brunhilda and the blonde member of the three beautiful women, both of whom were stepping off the arena, towards her. "Uh-oh…"

"Hello there!" Brunhilda greeted as she approached the small girl. "Scoping out the competition, eh? That's a clever thing to do."

"Um, it's not that—" Sachiko began, but was cut off by the blonde woman of Team Yu-Ri-Pa.

"Hey! You're one of those kids from the Sakaji team!" the blonde exclaimed, bending down so that she was face-to-face with Sachiko. For a moment, gold met swirled green as the two stared each other in the eye. "Wow," the woman whispered. "You have really beautiful orbs right there. Is the color amber or gold? I can't really tell…"

Sachiko backed away unconsciously. Not only was she a bit nerve wracked by being so close to a stranger, but this stranger had 1) stared at her directly in the eyes and 2) actually commented on them. No one had ever done both those things at once before, not even her own family members. She backed away towards the waiting room.

"Aw, don't go away!" the blonde cried. She stood up and grabbed Sachiko's hand, shaking it enthusiastically while dragging her away from the exit at the same time. "I'm Rikku! The middle woman of Team Yu-Ri-Pa, and cousin of Yunie!"

"Y-y-yunie?" Sachiko stuttered as Rikku continuously shook her hand.

"That would be her," Brunhilda said, pointing towards the brown-haired woman on the arena. "That's Yuna, the shooter of the trio. The woman with the gray-black hair is Paine. And believe me, Miss Sachiko—" Brunhilda shuddered for a moment "—Paine lives up to her name."

"Sachiko?" Rikku giggled, and squeezed Sachiko's hand even further. "What a cute name! That means, 'Child of Bliss,' right?"

"Y-y-yes?" Pulling away from Rikku's handshake, Sachiko again glanced at the pile of unconscious men, and gulped. "Oh my. Did Paine-san do all that?"

"Hmm? Yeah, she did. Me and Yunie didn't even get a chance to stretch before the match was over." As she spoke, Rikku scratched her chin while giving Sachiko an up-and-down stare. The blonde frowned for a moment, before she shook her head. "I heard that we have to fight your team next. I really don't want to hurt you Sachi. First off, you're too cute to have your butt whooped. Second, I heard that the field that they're gonna use for our fight is similar to the water field we just used now…"

Sachiko bit her lip as she listened. If what Rikku said was true, then she, Kargo, and Jiro would be at a huge disadvantage. It didn't help matters that Rikku's team seemed unnaturally strong…yet it seemed wrong to drop out after promising Vhana that they would win.

"It's okay!" Sachiko chirped, plastering a cheery smile on her face. "We'll just fight to the best of our ability, that's all! Besides, we have a lot riding on this tournament, and quitting is unacceptable! But thank you for your concern," Sachiko added, bowing to Rikku respectfully. The blonde sighed, and patted Sachiko on the head.

"Well…if you really must. I'll see you at the match, okay? We'll try to go easy on you!"

Sachiko nodded and ran back towards the waiting room, anxiety about the fight replacing the depression she had felt earlier.

A minute later, Brunhilda announced the match of Team Viper and Team Who-Really-Cares.

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

"HOW COULD YOU?"

Hideaki cowered in the corner as Jiro and Kargo literally exploded. After dragging her away from the pub and back to the waiting room, they had bombarded her with point-blank questions, unfair (but completely accurate) accusations, and full-out-not-niceness. She flinched as the two boys then began to stomp around, waving their arms as they roared their disapproval at her mistake.

During the entire two-man rant, Vhana had been on the sidelines, eating a bag of popcorn.

"THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!" Jiro screamed. "YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO BE THE RESPONSIBLE ONE!"

"YOU BROKE THE WATCH!" Kargo bellowed. "_THE WATCH_! WE NEED THAT WATCH! Without that watch…_WE'RE DOOMED_!"

"Fer cryin' in a bucket!" Vhana suddenly yelled, throwing away her popcorn, "it's just a wee Vidwatch! Ya ken git another at any store!"

"BUTT OUT!" Kargo and Jiro roared, effectively silencing the merchant.

"Guys, please," Hideaki pleaded. "Just let me explain. Once I get the money from Daemon, we can buy the parts we need and—"

The boys growled at her, and she immediately shut up. _Oh man…I'm dead! Oh gods…please let something distract them from this horrible news so that I can live long enough to fix this mess!_

"Hey guys!" Sachiko cried as she ran into the room. The look of anger on the boys' faces immediately dissipated, and Hideaki breathed a sigh of relief.

_Thank you, that will do nicely._

Sachiko stopped in front of the boys, her face slightly red from running, her body movements fast and somewhat energetic. "Kargo-kun! Jiro! Listen, listen, listen! The arena! It changes! And I was just talking to Rikku-san from Team Yu-Ri-Pa, and—"

"Wait a minute," Jiro interrupted. "You were talking to those bitches?"

Hideaki stifled the urge to laugh as Sachiko's face turned somewhat sour. "Jiro," the small girl mumbled, "it's not nice to curse people you don't know."

"Feh."

"Besides," Sachiko continued, "they're really nice! Anyway, I was talking to them, and I learned that only one woman was used to beat their opposing team, the woman with blackie-gray hair. They're really strong!"

"Like, how strong?" Kargo asked. "Did you get to see them fight?"

Hideaki had to choke back a laugh when Sachiko's face became as pinched as a walnut shell. The little girl crossed her arms, and muttered, "No. I didn't get to see them fight, even though I really, _really_ wanted to."

Kargo swore, and kicked at a nearby wall. "Damn it. This could be a problem."

"I told you we should have watched," Sachiko mumbled.

"It's Jiro's fault," Kargo said quickly, pointing a finger at the human teen, who snorted and stuck out his tongue.

"What the hell are you so worried about?" Jiro snapped. "Come on! You, freak, are a fucking green _alien_. Sachiko's the descendant of a creepy-happy, yet incredibly strong warrior, and I've been trained by a narcissistic asshole who is also incredibly strong…yet is still an asshole. Come on! We've got to be the three strongest beings on the entire planet! What the hell have we got to worry about?"

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

"ACHOOOOO!"

"ACHOOOOO!"

In HFIL, both Goku and Vegeta rubbed their noses as Piccolo backed away from them slightly. "You two have been sneezing a lot lately. Are you getting sick, or what?"

Goku shook his head as he took a long sniff. "Nah…it's not a cold." He sniffed again, before giving Vegeta a goofy grin. "Hey, Vegeta…maybe someone's talking about us?"

"…Be quiet, Kakarrot. I'm _thinking_ right now…an activity I'm sure you don't often take part in."

"Well, you have a point—Hey! You don't have to be so mean…it's not like I get to come down here everyday, you know."

"Damn it! I said shut your mouth!"

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

"And now, for the first match of Round Two!"

Brunhilda stuck out two fingers as the crowds cheered. She grinned, enjoying the energy of the crowd, before she turned to the two waiting teams. "First up, we have the Scamps of Shocking Strength, the Trio of Terror for anyone betting on any other team…TEAM SAKAJI!"

For the most part, the crowds cheered, but gamblers hissed and threw leftover corndogs at their heads. Sachiko caught one and was about to eat it, when Kargo snatched it out of her hand and threw it back at the offender.

"Ahahaha…tough crowd." Brunhilda wiped her forehead for a moment, before turning to the second team. "And in this corner, we have the Femme Fatales of Fighting…the Gals of Glamour and God-like…um…Strength—"

"Hey!" one of the pimps in the audience shouted. "The word 'strength' doesn't begin with the letter 'G' you idiot!"

"Shut your mouth!" Brunhilda screeched. "I was running out of alliterations! Anyway, on the other corner, we have…TEAM YU-RI-PA!"

At once, the male half of the crowds began to cheer and cat-call as the three women stepped forward. Rikku, the blonde, waved at Sachiko, who waved back with her good arm until Jiro grabbed her hand and yanked it down.

"That's enough intros!" Brunhilda declared, turning to the teams. "Will the first two fighters please step up to the arena?"

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

Vhana sat on one of the front row seats, the merchant now holding a caramel apple in addition to a new bag of popcorn. She looked up towards the back—the scientist, Hideaki, had wanted to sit in the back with Daemon. FAR in the back. Something about not wanting her head crushed by thugs…

Wimp.

She crunched loudly into her apple as a man in a black trenchcoat sat next to her, sighing. Vhana eyed him warily, before shrugging and swallowing her apple. "Enjoyin' the show, lad?" she asked. The man laughed, before turning his dark eyes towards her.

"Heh. You could say that, ma'am. I'm actually here on business, but I suppose I could take the time to enjoy it."

"Business? Wha' business ken there be in this hell? Unless yer after a bounty, or here ta sell goods, there's nothin' to do here."

The man chuckled, and said nothing more.

Vhana frowned, and followed his gaze…until she realized that it landed on the children. Nothing really suspicious, for they _were_ eye catching, but still...

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

Jiro immediately stepped onto the stone arena, which lead to an eruption of protests from Sachiko.

"Please let me fight?" Sachiko begged, clinging onto Jiro's arm. "Pretty, pretty, pretty please? _Please_? I won't fight in the next match if you let me fight in this one, I promise! Promise, promise, promise!"

Jiro sighed, and gently removed the small girl from his limb. "…Sorry about this. I'll buy you something expensive later, okay?" He tossed her to Kargo, who held her tightly in an iron grip.

"No!" Sachiko yelled, trying to wiggle out of the Namek's hold. "Not fair! Not—heeheeheehee!" Sachiko suddenly giggled, squirming like an eel in Kargo's arms. "S-stop that, Kargo! You know I'm ticklish! Teeheeheeheehee! T-this isn't fair! Teeheeheeheehee!"

_Huh_, Jiro thought._ She's ticklish. Must remember that._

His thoughts were cut short as the black-clad woman from the group appeared, wielding a _very_ large sword that Jiro was _sure_ she hadn't been holding the last time he saw her. _Oh boy. This…complicates things._

"Are gigantic, oversized swords allowed?" Jiro asked, sweatdropping slightly.

"No real rules in this tournament, Master Kutai," Brunhilda said, her eyes widening at the size of Paine's sword. "Though…it is rather distracting…"

"Miss A. Nouncer!" One of the men in black ran up to her from the sidelines. "Can we change the arena now?"

"Huh? Oh. Sure…" Brunhilda tore her eyes away from the sword, and stepped on the edge of the arena. "You may want to step back, you two," she said to Jiro and Paine.

Jiro blinked for a moment, and stepped back. A second later, most of the center of the arena (save the edges he, Brunhilda, and Paine were standing on) sank several far below the ground. Immediately, dark brown mud and sand began to pour into the hole, while white pillars began to rise above the mud and sand. In minutes, the arena was now a pit of dirt, with only a few white pillars above the muck to serve as footholds.

"The environmental condition is…_quicksand_!" Brunhilda gingerly stepped onto the mud and sand, only to yelp and pull out her foot a few seconds later as it sank rapidly into the ground. "Well…ahahaha…you know the basics of quicksand! Don't step on it! Also, if you _do_ step on it, just raise your left arm and shout for help. The men in black will pull you out, but it also means an automatic forfeit. Now…" She turned to the fighters, and gave them a weak smile. "Please take your positions."

Paine immediately leaped onto one of the white pillars. Jiro paused, before hopping towards the nearest one, making sure to stay far away from Paine.

"Heeheehee…G-go Jiro!" Sachiko giggled, before Kargo tickled her even harder. "Teeheeheehee!"

Brunhilda stayed on the edge, wiping the mud from her shoes. "Okay then… The first fight of Round Two is about to begin! Fighters, are you ready? Are you set? FIGHT!"

Paine immediately leapt towards him, and swung her swords right at his head. Jiro yelped and dodged the swing by jumping towards another pillar. His hands glowed as he formed a bright blue ki ball in his hands and hurled it at her face.

"Eat _that_, bitch!" Jiro yelled, certain that the blast would hit…then, just before impact, Paine lifted her sword at a certain angle, and _deflected_ the blast right back at him!

_Ah, shit!_

Crossing his arms in front of his face, Jiro tried to block the blast as best he could, gritting his teeth as his own energy burned through his skin._ Ow, ow, ow, ow…_

"A ki user," he heard Paine whisper. "Well, well, well…"

"Rich boy, move your ass!" he heard the Namek yell. Jiro lifted his head, and saw Paine again leaping towards him, giant sword in hand…

Jiro jumped back as Paine's sword sliced _through_ the pillar, destroying his foothold. He screamed when he realized he was heading straight for the muck of quicksand…

_Focus, focus, focus! Fly, you idiot, FLY!_

Jiro concentrated all his panic-induced energy towards floating…which was easier said than done, but what choice did he fucking have? _Goddamn it! I need to focus or else I'll DIE!_

Suddenly, he seemed to stop moving.

He opened his eyes…and saw that his face was only inches away from the dirt. He breathed a sigh of relief and floated upright, grinning when he saw Paine's shocked expression. "What'sa matter, bitch? Never saw anyone fly before? I thought you knew about ki users…"

Paine blinked for a moment, before she snorted. "Heh. Don't get too cocky just because you know a trick no one else does." Before Jiro could blink, Paine suddenly swung her sword, hitting him hard in the side with the blunt edge. Jiro slammed hard into one of the pillars, and he gasped as he grabbed at his injury. There was gonna be a _huge_ bruise there in the morning…

He had no time to think. He immediately got to his feet and hovered away as Paine made her way towards him. Aiming right at her torso, Jiro held his hands together, and breathed deeply, before a dark purplish glow began to overtake his body.

He had seen Vegeta do this once in other world. While it was not one of the Prince's more powerful attacks, it was one Jiro wanted to master…and had practiced for days since this journey began.

"Galick…Gun!" he yelled, and thrusted his arms forward as a large beam of purple ki shot out of his hands. Paine gasped as the blast approached her, and tried to shield herself with her sword—which half worked. The blast collided with the strange metal…before promptly snapping the blade in two. Paine gasped as she dropped her ruined sword, and threw the cackling Jiro a dark glare.

And he cackled. Gods, how he cackled. "Bwahahahaha! What'cha gonna do now, bitch? You can't catch me! Bwahahahaha!"

"Jiro should stop laughing like a crazy person," Sachiko said nervously, as she hung limp in Kargo's arms. The Namek remained silent.

Jiro then flew over to Paine and grabbed her by the shoulders. Before she could react, he slammed his feet into her stomach, and as she bent over to gasp in pain, he punched her straight in the face, sending her stumbling…right into the quicksand.

"P-paine is…in the q-quicksand!" Brunhilda stammered, her eyes wide with stunned admiration at the scene before her. "She'd better not move if she doesn't want to sink! Miss Paine, what will you do now?"

Paine growled, and glared at Jiro once more, before she yelled, "YUNA! NOW!"

Jiro blinked, before he felt a sudden weight on his back. "HEY!" he roared, trying to stay afloat. "What the hell?" He tried to turn his head, and saw out of the corner of his eye the brown-haired woman of the group, Yuna, clinging onto his neck.

"_What are you doing_?" Sachiko shrieked, pulling out of Kargo's hold as a very loud scream from a light blue haired woman echoed throughout the stadium. "_That's cheating! Get off of him_!" She ran towards the arena, when Rikku jumped on the edge of the quicksand pit and threw a device in front of the small girl.

CRASH!

As if there was an invisible wall, Sachiko ricocheted away from the arena, landing flat on her bottom. She rubbed the bump on her head and looked up angrily, finding a rather saddened Rikku staring down at her from the edge. Sachiko got up and attempted to climb onto the pit, but again, there was that invisible wall. Sachiko felt her way around—the wall appeared to be all around the arena, blocking her from entering.

"I'm sorry," Rikku said from her side. Before Sachiko could respond, the blonde turned and leaped onto a stone pillar, just as Jiro managed to throw off Yuna. Rikku then pulled out what appeared to be claws, and charged towards Jiro just as Yuna pulled out her guns.

"Brunhilda-san!" Sachiko shrieked to the now-nervous announcer woman stuck on the other side of the wall. "Brunhilda-san! They can't do this! Stop the match!"

"I can't!" Brunhilda cried, her hands shaking slightly. "There's no rule against the entire team fighting against an opponent."

"WHAT?" Kargo stared at Brunhilda in disbelief. "This is cheating! This isn't fair!"

"I'm sorry! This is what you have to expect at the Shigaisen Brawl-Out! The men in black are doing their best to remove the shield, but beyond that, we can't do anything!"

"But—" Sachiko began, but then stopped as Jiro began to scream.

"GET THE HELL OFF ME!" Jiro roared, as he attempted to throw Rikku off. In the quicksand, Paine and Yuna hung on to his legs, and were slowly dragging him into the sand as they clawed up his body.

"Jiro!" Sachiko and Kargo pounded and clawed on the invisible wall as they watched, with horror, as Jiro sank into the muck. "Let go of him!" Sachiko screamed, as Jiro's head disappeared under the sand. The minute he was out of sight, Paine, Yuna, and Rikku twisted themselves out of the quicksand, onto the safety of the pillars.

"No! Jiro! JIRO!"

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

**Kargo: Heh. I like cameos, don't you? Next time, it's the conclusion of round two,. Will Rich Boy make it out alive? Then it's Sachiko versus…all of Team Viper? How's she gonna beat them? SHE ONLY HAS ONE ARM!**

**Sachiko: POOR JIRO! What's gonna happen to him? WAAAAH!**

**Jiro/Pork Bun: …**

**Sachiko: (Sniffs) I hope he's gonna be okay. (Licks pork bun, then stops)You know Kargo-kun, this pork bun is weird.**

**Kargo: What? You haven't eaten it yet?**

**Sachiko: I can't! Whenever I lick it, it gets all red, like a cherry! And the Jiro face gets all goofy looking…Watch! (licks pork bun)**

**Jiro/Pork Bun: (Turns red) …**

**Kargo: Don't do that Sachiko! You're giving that bun perverted thoughts.**

**Sachiko: Huh?**

**Kargo: …Never mind. So, have you all figured out who Brunhilda's beloved ancestor is? It's not all that difficult…first person to actually get it right gets a prize!**

**Sachiko: This bun really is weird… (Licks bun again)**

**Jiro/Pork Bun: (Hehehehehehe…)**


	31. Boom

Kargo: If our authoress owned the series, we'd be freakin' animated already! And if I was animated, I'd be the new "Good, Yet Somewhat Bad Boy Namek" of the show. Take THAT, Piccolo Daimao Junior! HA!

Sachiko: But Kargo…you're not the son of an evil Namek person. You're nice and sweet, and you watch that show every day. You know, that show that makes you cry…I think it's a soap opera called "Days of Our Lives—"

Kargo: (Freaked out) Shhhhhhhhhh! You promised never to mention that in public!

Sachiko: Oh yeah. (To the audience) Forget I said that! Kargo is cool! He doesn't watch soap operas on a daily basis! He doesn't stare at the telly-vision in horror and scream, "Jack, NO!" every ten minutes! I was just kidding!

Kargo: …

Sachiko: (Smiles)

Kargo: … (Sarcastic) Thanks a LOT, Sachi.

Sachiko: You're welcome! Anytime!

Jiro/Pork Bun: (Bwahahahahahaha!)

Kargo: (Eye twitches, then grins) You should get to eating that _pork bun_, Sachiko….

Sachiko: Oh yeah. I forgot. (Licks bun)

Jiro/Pork Bun: (Hehehehehehehehehehe!)

Kargo: DON'T LICK IT!

Sachiko: But you said to—

Kargo: NEVER MIND! Now…for **Crosel**, who was the first one to give the answer that Brunhilda was the descendant of Announcer Guy (Does he even have a name?), you get to make your own character, which TURMOIL will stick into the story at some point. Depending on the character you make, she'll either stick it in this story, or the se—OW! (Gets hit on the head with a book) What the hell?

TURMOIL: (Hidden in shadows) Don't mention THAT yet, you fool! Shaeeeeesh!

Kargo: EEEP! Sorry, Master! (To audience) Enjoy the story!

**_Chapter Thirty-One: Boom_**

_Holy shit…_

For a minute, all Ryoushi could do was stare. Stare in shock as Jiro Kutai was dragged into the muck by the three women, as they cleverly wormed their own bodies to safety. So unbelievable was the sight before him that the consequences of _not_ doing anything about it didn't quite register in his brain until a rather hysterical Hideaki Kutai tornadoed past him, shrieking, "JIRO-KUN! JIRO-KUN!"

That brought him back to Earth.

Ryoushi flew out of his seat and sprinted towards the arena, rushing past Hideaki in plain sight as he did so. This was an act he would regret later, but was something he did not immediately heed as he saw Jiro's head slip under the quicksand. Five million…five million down the drain if the kid died! FIVE MILLION! UNACCEPTABLE!

"Get out of the way!" he roared as he shoved the man in black aside. He quickly bent down in front of the small device the woman Rikku had thrown, and hissed when he saw that it was a _Light Curtain_, one of the strange new bits of weaponry that were floating around the black market, along with those rather peculiar guns—guns that could shoot out a substance that was as powerful as his energy blasts.

_Fuck! First those strange energy guns, and now this! Who the hell is making these pieces of shit?_

The man in black had managed to get the cover of the device off, but inside the tiny box, Ryoushi saw hundreds of colored wires, all criss-crossing one another, twisting together, pulling apart, melding together…fuck! It would take _years_ before anyone could figure out the schematics of this thing!

"_Goddamn it_!" he yelled. He pulled out his old bullet-shooting gun, immediately loading a cartridge of ammunition into the weapon. Then, without hesitation, he took aim and fired every single shot into the device, one after another, after another, after another…

At first, nothing happened, but then…

"T-the shield!" he heard the small girl cry. "It's disappearing a little! Oh, Jiro! Jiro, please come out of the icky sand! Jiro!"

Gritting his teeth, Ryoushi loaded another cartridge, and fired again. After several more shots, the shield finally began to flicker—once—twice—before it vanished completely.

_Fucking finally!_

The bounty hunter placed a hand on the edge of the arena and was about to jump into the pit, when out of the corner of his eye, he saw strange movements from underneath the sand. He froze, and stared directly at the spot again.

The sand was shifting. The movements were little at first, but then they became more and more rapid. The three women of Team Yu-Ri-Pa were also staring at the spot; Yuna and Rikku a bit open-mouthed, while Paine was holding one of Yuna's guns warily in her hand. Then…

The ground _exploded_. Out of nowhere, something burst out of the quicksand at tremendous speeds, a glowing blue body shooting upwards from the pit towards the ceiling of the underground stadium. Ryoushi squinted and covered his face—the force resonating from the body was sending mud and muck all over the arena and stands.

"EW!" he heard the announcer woman shriek as she ran off the arena. "I just had this suit cleaned!"

Suddenly, there was a bright purple glow. Ryoushi peeked though his fingers, and felt his eyes widen at the sight before him…or rather, above him. Near the ceiling of the stadium, with an astonishingly large ball of purple ki in his hands, was an enraged, furious, sand-covered Jiro Kutai. At least, Ryoushi _thought_ it was Jiro. The boy's body was glowing with so much blue energy that it was difficult to make out his physical features.

On the arena, the three women were staring at the boy in terrified awe.

"Galick…GUN!" Jiro roared. A gigantic beam of purple energy exploded from his hands, and shot right towards the three women, who all tried to dodge as the beam hit the exact center of the arena with a _boom_.

The impact was astounding. Ryoushi gasped as the air whipped past his skin, the force of the blast nearly ripping his flesh off his bones. He heard the small girl shriek as dust rose and obscured everything from view, including the arena and the fighters. The bounty hunter coughed and covered his eyes and mouth. What he wouldn't give right now for a wet handkerchief!

He heard one of the men in black shouting…something clicked…there was a large whirring sound from above. Ryoushi felt his hair move slightly, and the dust began to move upwards, clearing the air. He looked up again, and just barely managed to catch sight of several large ventilators sucking the dust away. Finally, the dust cleared enough for him to see.

Jiro was slumped on one of the white pillars, panting hard and looking completely exhausted. Glancing around, Ryoushi saw that the three women were scattered all over the ground, outside of the arena…

…completely knocked out.

"Oh my goodness…" Ryoushi turned to see the announcer woman poking at the bodies of Team Yu-Ri-Pa, her hand shaking slightly as she inspected the fighters. "K-knocked out…and out of the ring…" The announcer woman looked up at the crowd, and swallowed audibly into the microphone before she cried out, "You can't lose worse than that, people! The winner is Team Sakaji!"

"Jiro!" The voice of the small girl hit Ryoushi's ears, and he turned his gaze to the small child hopping from pillar to pillar until she reached the worn-out Jiro. Despite himself, he felt his brow rise ever so slightly as the girl kneeled down and tried to help the boy up. "Jiro, are you okay?" he heard the girl ask. "How did you do that? How did you get out of the sand? You were down there for so long…and that attack! It was amazing! How did—"

"Ugh," Jiro moaned, cutting her off. Ryoushi's brow rose further when he saw Jiro close his eyes, and plop his sand-covered head into the small girl's lap. "Tired. Stop speaking. You talk too much." The boy stopped as he coughed mud out of his mouth. "Yuck."

"Huh? But Jiro, I was worried—"

"Shut it." More coughing, more bits of mud and spittle.

The small girl frowned, but said nothing. Instead, she patted the boy's back as he continued to lie and cough on her lap.

_Huh_, the bounty hunter thought as he watched the two children._ Maybe Miyuki was right to worry about Jiro. This is very…unusual behavior for that brat. _He grinned to himself, before he snuck away quietly.

His own match would begin soon, and he had to prepare.

Because the small girl and her green companion had not spotted him, and because Jiro had never actually met him face-to-face, he still had the element of surprise. What Ryoushi failed to notice earlier, however, was that the green child had not joined his two companions in the aftermath of the fight. In fact, so preoccupied was he with the well-being of Jiro Kutai that the bounty hunter had not—and _still_ did not—register the fact that he had passed _Hideaki_ Kutai earlier in the stands, and that she clearly saw his face despite the fact that she had been half-hysterical at the time.

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

Although Hideaki Kutai had not the physical strength of her younger companions, she was well taught in several aspects of the world, both in an intellectual and witty manner. When faced with a conflict, she did what she was best at; she studied the situation and all important factors carefully until she felt she had a firm grasp of the scenario.

When Sachiko and Kargo told her that they had been confronted by bounty hunter Ryoushi Ganjou in Crystal Caves, she had taken some time to study his past captures and his current physical appearance. Though she knew his reputation to be that of an expert hunter, getting actual details of the man turned out to be an amazingly difficult task. Finding a current picture of him was even more of a bitch. She had to hack like she never hacked before, and when she was done, all she had to show for it was a list of captures she already knew about, and one photograph she couldn't even account for. That was it.

However, when she saw that man rush towards the arena…all she needed was to look at his face to know. But she didn't freeze and stare like an idiot at the scene before her. Once she saw Jiro shooting out of the sand, apparently safe, she grabbed Vhana and, when no one was looking, Kargo, and pulled them away to an isolated corner of the stadium. She would have grabbed Sachiko, but the girl was already in Ryoushi's line of sight and was, at the time, a bit too preoccupied with Jiro's battle.

"Hideaki!" Kargo yelled as they hid in the corner of the fray. "What the hell? There's a fucking _fight_ going on, if you haven't noticed!"

Hideaki opened her mouth to speak, but shut it when dust swirled all around them. It took a while before the dust cleared, but when it did, she stared hard at Kargo, and hissed, "We have a problem, you idiot! Ryoushi Ganjou is here!"

"_What_?" The Namek stared at her in shock, his eyes wide. "B-but…how? How did he find us? I though we lost him at Crystal Caves…"

"Excusein' meh?" Vhana cut in. "Wha' are ya talkin' about? I heard 'bout Ganjou. He's a bounty hunter, no? Why would tha' man be after ya?"

Hideaki and Kargo exchanged looks, before Hideaki coughed. "Um…well…it's complicated," Hideaki said carefully.

"Don't tell meh ya kids are wanted ones!"

Kargo coughed this time. "Um…we're not wanted…per se," he said, even more carefully.

"The winner is Team Sakaji!" Brunhilda yelled, startling the trio. They watched as Sachiko made her way towards Jiro, and froze when they realized Ryoushi was still watching the two like a hawk. They breathed a sigh of relief when he finally slinked off, but worry was still in their hearts.

"Thank goodness," Hideaki muttered. "Maybe he didn't recognize them?"

Kargo snorted, his eyes narrowed slightly at the scene between Sachiko and Jiro. "Maybe he just got nauseated that a fourteen-year-old is hitting on a ten-year-old."

The merchant laughed. "Yer a funny one, lad. But! No chance o' that. As a merchant livin' in Shigaisen, I ken tell ya tha' bounty hunters do no' give up their prize so easily. But I think the reason he ain't takin' ya wee ones is tha' there are too many people here right now, too many eyes. Are ya kids publicly wanted ones?"

"Um, no," Kargo replied. "So far, only Ryoushi's been after us."

"Tha' means that he's tryin' ta keep ya a secret. If any others knew tha' ya kids were wanted, they'da tried ta get ya by now. He wants ya fer himself."

"How special he makes us feel," Kargo said sarcastically.

Vhana snorted at the comment, before she frowned. "I knew tha' man was actin' funny…seemed mighty strange when he kept lookin' at ya kids…"

"You sat _next_ to him?" Kargo spluttered. "Vhana! Be more careful, woman! That guy's a nut!"

"_He_ sat next ta _meh_! And he was seemin' like an ordinary lad!"

Hideaki sighed, and rubbed her temples in dismay. "Enough arguing, please! At any rate, we should get Sachiko and Jiro. We need to win, get the money for the Dragon Radar Vidwatch, and get out of here, pronto."

The Namek nodded. "Right." With that, he went off to gather (and physically separate) his two fighting companions. Both Hideaki and Vhana sighed when they heard the first sounds of shouting between the two boys.

"I'm goin' back ta meh seat," Vhana muttered, before she turned and left.

"Take me with you," Hideaki pleaded.

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

President Kutai frowned as he looked over his papers. "Darn it. This isn't right…"

"What's the matter, sir?" Katsu asked. "Are the stock numbers looking strange again?"

"Hmm? Oh…yes, actually. They're looking very peculiar…" President Kutai clenched his hand into a fist. "Someone is trying to buy the majority of stocks….someone called R.K.T…" The company head gritted his teeth and hissed, an uncharacteristic act for the usually calm and happy man. "My gods…this has never happened for…gods-know-how-long! The company has been in my family for centuries. I can't lose it like this, Katsu my boy! I can't!"

"Sir, please calm down—"

"I can _not_ calm down _now_! There is a traitor in the company, creating weapons behind my back, and someone is trying to take over my seat from right under my nose! I can't understand this! Why are these things happening? Why all at once?"

Katsu bit his lip, before he walked up to the C.E.O. and gently took the papers away from the man's hands. "No more, sir." President Kutai stared at the man in shock. "Sir, you must calm down. You are the representative of this fine company, as was your father before you, and his mother before him, and so on. If you break down now, what will you say to them in the heavens? How will you face them?"

The president said nothing; he only continued to stare.

"I'll get you some coffee, sir. You need it." Katsu took the papers and, glancing at them briefly, sighed and slipped it back into the president's cabinet before heading towards the break room. "Three creams and four sugars, right sir?"

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

Jiro tried to brush the mud and sand out of his hair with the wet cloth Vhana had given him, but it wasn't going well. He just ended up smearing the muck all over his head, and was more than a little displeased when the mixture hardened, making him feel as if he had a dry, dirty mop for hair instead of his usual gorgeous spikes.

"Your hair looks so funny, Jiro!" Sachiko giggled as she brushed more sand off of his clothes. "It's like dried up worms!" She tugged at one of the mop locks playfully, laughing until Jiro swatted her hand away.

"Cut it out," he growled. "Don't make fun of me. I hate that."

"I wasn't making fun of you," Sachiko said innocently. "It really _does_ look like dried up worms! Take a look in a mirror!"

"I don't want to," Jiro said flatly. "Not until I've had a nice, long, shower, with lots of soap, shampoo, and conditioner."

"What's conditioner?" Sachiko asked curiously.

"You're kidding, right?"

Sachiko tilted her head to the side in confusion, which in turn made Jiro slap a hand to his forehead.

"Would you two pay attention?" Kargo snapped. "Doesn't the fact that Ryoushi Ganjou is after us again make you the _tiniest_ bit nervous? He's somewhere in the stadium right now, probably plotting on how to get us!"

Sachiko cocked her head at Kargo and Jiro. "Who's Ryoushi?"

Silence.

"No seriously!" Sachiko persisted. "Who's Ryoushi?"

"You know him," the Namek said very, very slowly, trying and failing to get the twitching in his eye to go away. "He's the asshole bounty hunter who tried to kill us when we were at Crystal Caves."

The small girl thought for a minute, before her face turned sour. "You mean that big meanie?" she cried. "The one who wanted to hurt us? I don't like him! I don't like him at _all_."

"I don't like him either," Kargo murmured, rubbing his cheek in memory of where Ryoushi had struck him. "That's why, when we win the last fight, we take our money and dragonballs, and hightail it out of here."

Sachiko nodded, before her lips pursed. "That reminds me," she said slowly. She glanced at both boys, before she said, "I'm going to fight in the final match. And don't you try to stop me!" she yelled, when Kargo immediately opened his mouth. "You and Jiro won the last two fights single handedly. It's my turn to fight!"

Jiro stared at the small, angry girl in front of him in surprise. "S-sachiko…"

"Okay, I know my arm is bad," Sachiko admitted, rubbing her injured arm. "And it might be a problem. But in the last fight, Brunhilda said that there were no rules to entire teams fighting all at once, right? So if you guys _really_ don't want me to fight by _myself_, how about we fight altogether?"

Jiro blinked. "You mean…we fight…together?"

Sachiko nodded. "Yup!"

"At the same time?" Kargo asked.

"Yup!"

"Not one-on-one?" Jiro inquired.

"Nope!"

"Huh." Kargo rubbed his chin. "Interesting…"

Suddenly, Vhana and Hideaki burst into the waiting room, their faces full of shock, fright, and total apprehension. The three youths blinked in unison as the two women panted heavily, as if they had run a full mile in sixty seconds. "R-r-ryou—Ryoushi—" Hideaki gasped.

"What is it?" Sachiko asked, patting the older girl on the back as Hideaki desperately tried to get her breath back. "Did something happen?"

"Tha' hunter!" Vhana cried out. "Tha' lad is in the tourney! He's in tha' Viper Team!"

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

"Going to the finals with Team Sakaji is…Team Viper!"

Ryoushi smirked when the crowd cheered. Okay, so he technically wasn't a fighter in the official sense. It was still nice to receive attention. Bounty hunting was more stressful, and, as he got older, it was slowly becoming more difficult and tedious. Not a pleasant mix.

Then again, fighting was rumored to end the same way. It just took longer, supposedly…

Stepping away from his "teammates", he walked over to the edge of the stone arena and sat down. There was no point in leaving the arena now. Finals were next, and all he had to do was wait.

_Surprise, surprise, kiddies…_

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

Sachiko bit her lip nervously, lowering her eyes to the ground as she reentered the stadium with Kargo and Jiro.

Hideaki and Vhana had slipped off to blend with the crowds. Because of the difficulty Sachiko and Kargo had with Ryoushi last time, the two women said that they would try to come up with a distraction for the end of the fight, as Ryoushi would surely go after them, win _or_ lose.

Win or lose…

The small girl lifted her eyes slightly, until her eyesight was level with the arena. She gasped when she found herself looking directly into the dark eyes of Ryoushi Ganjou, his lips twisting into a sort of mocking smile that seemed to say, _remember me?_

She forced herself to return his mocking stare with her own hardened one. This wasn't like last time. She felt somewhat stronger, plus she had Kargo and Jiro with her.

_We cannot lose, we cannot lose, we cannot lose…_

Her stare faltered slightly when she saw him chuckle.

The arena was already altered, and this time, the setting was rather…strange. It looked almost like the original stone arena, but there were a few blue tiles that were glowing slightly. There were _vines_ that were connected from the ceiling, dangling down until the ends just barely stroked the top of the arena tiles. For artistic effects, there were _flowers_ growing on the vines.

Brunhilda was nowhere in sight. Sachiko tilted her head in confusion, and looked around until she caught sight of the dark blonde announcer woman. "Brunhilda-san!" she called out, tearing her gaze away from the arena and the bounty hunter. She pulled away from Kargo and Jiro, and ran towards the woman with a shaky smile. "Brunhilda-san! Why aren't you on the stage? The match is starting…isn't it?"

"Ahahaha…" Brunhilda laughed weakly, rubbing the back of her head with the hand not holding the microphone. "About that…well…"

"Hey!" a person from the crowd yelled. "Let's start the match already!"

"Oy." Brunhilda sighed, before raising the mike to her lips. "And here we are, ladies—no wait…_women_ and gentle—no, wait…_men_! Women and men! Here we are in the final round! You already know the outstanding Team Sakaji and Team Viper! Now, let's see who'll come out on top! Will the first two fighters please step up to the arena? Oh, one more thing," she added as the fighters moved toward the fight zone. "Please step on only the blue tiles."

Sachiko, Kargo, and Jiro exchanged glances, but not one of them said a word. They immediately stepped onto the arena, each choosing a blue tile as they kept their eyes on a somewhat surprised Ryoushi, who was the only one to step in for his team.

"A-are all of you fighting?" Brunhilda asked, shocked.

"We want to make it quick," Jiro called out from his tile.

"If they can do that, we can too!" one of the bald men from Team Viper said. They hastily stepped onto the arena, stepping on the white tiles.

Mistake.

With a deafening _boom_, the white tiles stepped on by the two bald men exploded, throwing the foolish gang members out of the ring, straight into the stands. Kargo and Jiro gasped and Sachiko screamed when the bodies of the two men hit the crowd with a sickening _smack_, and watched with horror as smoke drifted from the bodies lazily.

"Oooooh…" Brunhilda moaned, covering her eyes with her hand. "And that's why I said step on the _blue_ tiles. Those are the only safe spots on the arena, because on any of the white tiles, there could be a small explosive..."

"Are they okay?" Sachiko shrieked, her eyes still glued to the two men, who were being carried away by some of the men in black. "Are they _alive_?"

"The explosives aren't lethal!" Brunhilda reassured her, though she didn't sound completely sure of that. "They're just enough to…provide some major damage…and maybe knock you out of the ring…but anyway! Now that Team Viper is just down to one fighter…are you still up for the match?" Brunhilda stared at Ryoushi, who sighed quietly, before giving the woman a cheeky smile.

"I'll be fine," he said smoothly. "I can take them down myself. Then—" he glanced at the three youths "—I'm taking them _out_."

Sachiko gulped nervously.

"O…kay," Brunhilda said uneasily. The woman stepped away from the arena slightly, before she turned to the crowds. "Well then! This is it, everyone! The first and last fight of the finals! Team Sakaji versus Team Viper…kind of! Fighters, are you ready? Are you set? FIGHT!"

Exchanging grins, Sachiko and Kargo hovered above the tiles and sped towards Ryoushi simultaneously. However, Jiro was still exhausted from the previous fight, and he was unable to get airborne…and the bounty hunter saw this.

Ryoushi shot up into the vines, seconds before Sachiko and Kargo were able to reach him. She looked up, and saw that he was swinging rapidly like a monkey away from her and Kargo. Before anyone could blink, Ryoushi, still hanging onto the vines, kicked Jiro right in the chin.

Jiro yelped and fell back, but he quickly grabbed one of the vines, holding himself just above the white tiles. He looked up, and felt his blood run cold when Ryoushi smiled down at him…holding a knife right next to the top of the vine he, Jiro, was holding…

Slice.

_Boom._

"Jiro!" Sachiko screamed as Jiro's body was thrown off the arena. He landed with a thud on the ground several feet away, his ice-blue eyes staring dazed at the ceiling as his injured body twitched in pain.

"You bastard!" Kargo yelled, and sped towards Ryoushi in rage. Ryoushi dropped down onto a blue tile just as Kargo tried to kick him in the head, and threw a hot orange-red ki ball right at the Namek's stomach. As the boy doubled over in pain, Ryoushi then jumped onto another blue tile as Sachiko tried to throw her own white ki ball at him, and climbed back onto the vines, shooting a barrage of ki at the small girl to distract her.

Sachiko forced her ki to her hands, forming a sort of ki gauntlet. She then swiped at the orange ki balls, but it wasn't until it was too late that she saw that Ryoushi had taken the time to attack Kargo alone. As Kargo tried to punch and kick at him, Ryoushi was throwing the vines at Kargo's limbs, slowly entangling him, until Kargo was moving much more slowly…much _too_ slowly…

The small girl flew up and threw a series of rapid punches at Ryoushi's back. The bounty hunter grunted, trying to hang onto the vines, before he suddenly twisted his body around, and backhanded her hard across the face, a sharp _crack_ resonating from the force of the blow.

Sachiko cried out loudly as her face snapped to the side. She had been punched before, but never slapped or backhanded. It felt so shameful…Kargo struggled to get to her, but found that he couldn't—_couldn't_—move. The vines, cleverly thrown around his arms and legs by Ryoushi, were holding him still. The Namek roared his frustration, and tried to blast his way out, but he was tied in such a way the he couldn't position himself to aim at his bindings.

In Sachiko's moment of shock, Ryoushi held his palm in front of her face. He smiled for a second, before he promptly _blasted_ her, sending her flying back, screaming as she clutched at her face. The hunter then turned to Kargo, and climbed back up so that he were level with the boy.

Suddenly, the bounty hunter swiped at the thick mass of vines right above Kargo's head. The Namek blinked at the hunter, confused as to why he was freed…before Ryoushi pummeled him on the top of his head.

The Namek sailed right into the white tiles, and in his constricted state, he wasn't able to stop himself.

_Boom._

Receiving a burning ki blast right in the face was not the most pleasurable of experiences, and Sachiko was still howling with agony when she heard the explosion. She froze when she heard Kargo scream, before the sound of a body hitting the earth could be heard…followed by low moans.

"Kargo!" Sachiko yelled as she rubbed her eyes desperately, trying to see. She peeked through her hands, and caught sight of a blurry Ryoushi swinging his way towards her. Sachiko bared her teeth and growled.

This was a fighter's tournament, yes…but what he did…what he did was TOO MUCH!

"Haaaaaaaaaaaaaa!" Sachiko screamed, powering up. The pain in her face was suddenly numbed—all she could think about, all she could focus on right now was _hurting_ this man!

The bounty hunter had stopped swinging when he saw her power up, and was now standing on a blue tile. Gritting her teeth, Sachiko flew towards the ceiling and focused her ki around her hands. She concentrated, holding her glowing hands in front of her as if she was praying. Then she clenched her hands and swiped them to the sides of her body so quickly that a thick line of white ki formed where her hands moved. The speed at which she moved propelled the line of ki forward, sending it straight through the vines before her, cutting most of them clean off the ceiling.

It took seconds, but soon her intentions became clear as Ryoushi realized that she had cut all of the vines off, save one…which was, unfortunately, the one directly above the tile he was standing on.

He was trapped.

In seconds, Sachiko tackled him with such speed that all the man saw was a blur. He gasped when she drove her fists into his stomach, and began to punch at it with vicious strength. Then, she grabbed him by the collar of his black trench coat and, with her feet pressed hard against his abdomen, began to headbutt him on the forehead again and again and again and again and again…

Ryoushi yelped as the small child continued her strange, rage-filled assault on him. The force she was using was sending him back, towards the white tiles. Pain wracking his frame, he reached out blindly and grasped the last vine, so that they would not fall and set off yet another bomb. But if the child didn't stop, he wouldn't be able to keep them upright…

"Miss?" Brunhilda's voice seemed like an echo…it was growing fainter. "Miss! I think that's enough!"

"S-sachiko…" Was that Kargo? Or was that Jiro? It sounded as if they were still in pain. "S-sachiko…stop it…"

She couldn't stop. Why wouldn't he fall? _Why wouldn't he fall_? She rammed her head against his harder. Damn him! WHY WOULDN'T HE FALL?

She felt something warm trickle down her forehead. It slid down to the tip of her nose, bright, shining…and red. Blood. Her eyes were still somewhat blurry, but she narrowed them, trying to focus. Slowly, objects before her became clearer. Then she gasped.

Her hands…hands that helped heal so many in the Amaterasu villages…were clutched around the man's collar, the knuckles white form holding him so tightly. Her feet were pressed hard against his stomach, and she could see from the shallow movements on his chest that he was having trouble breathing…

She looked up, and saw that she had smashed in his nose. Bruises were already forming on the young man's face and blood was pouring from the crushed bone, dripping past his lips, over his chin, and down her forehead.

_Oh sweet mother of Amaterasu. What have I done?_

She realized that their bodies were tilting at an angle. Looking to the side, she saw that his hand was grasping at a vine, keeping them both upright and above the white tiles.

She didn't know what to do. She got off him, and slowly dragged his half-conscious body off the arena. Him being taller than her, his feet touched the ground before hers did. She left him for the men in black to take away.

He didn't try to go after her.

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

"Tha' was…quite an endin' Little Baby. Especially when I had ta throw tha' smoke grenades ta get them mob o' pimps and whores off our tracks."

The merchant gave Sachiko a small smile, which she barely managed to return as they, along with Hideaki, helped the injured Kargo and Jiro onto the hovercraft. Neither of the boys looked at her, and she was glad they didn't. It wasn't the time.

"Well, I'm off." Vhana held the sack of winnings over her shoulder. "No more tradin' fer meh. I'm gonna live on tha' street of riches."

Sachiko and Hideaki smiled at the merchant, Hideaki holding her own winnings to the side. "What about your shipment of marble?"

"Tha' client ken go fuck himself," Vhana declared loudly. She lifted her goggles, revealing to Sachiko for the first time, a pair of dark, navy blue eyes. "Well, Little Baby. I hope we ken meet again…"

Sachiko nodded, the bleak smile still on her face as Vhana turned and walked away, whistling. She then joined Hideaki in the cockpit of the hovercraft, and shut the cockpit door behind her, blocking off Kargo and Jiro as the small plane flew off into the sky.

For a while, there was silence. Then, the small girl looked up at Hideaki. "Hideaki-chan?"

A pause. Then, "Yes, Sachiko-chan?"

"…if I did something bad, you'd tell me…wouldn't you?"

Another pause. "Is this about what you did to Ryoushi? If it is, don't feel bad. Now, that guy will know not to mess with us..." Hideaki's voice faltered off, as if she couldn't bring herself to finish what she was saying.

"I…I lost control there, didn't I?"

There was no response.

"Did it ever happen before?"

There was no response.

"Hideaki-chan?"

There was no response. Then, there was a sigh. "No, Sachiko-chan. Don't say things like that."

"Oh. Okay then."

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

Ryoushi groaned as he stumbled away from the infirmary, his nose packed with gauze, his head pounding up a storm.

Beaten. Humiliatingly. By a child. This was more than he could bear. How would he tell this to Miyuki? What would he do? He couldn't just go up to her and say "Oh, hey Miyuki. Um, I have to say that I can't finish your assignment. That girl…you know, the one your brat of a boy likes? Well, she's a freak, and she just kicked my ass about an hour ago…"

No, that wouldn't sit quite well with the bitch.

"Hello there, old friend."

Ryoushi looked up, and blinked. Standing in front of him was a man wearing dirty, worn-out rags, with a brown scarf that completely covered his head save his eyes and mouth. The bounty hunter wrinkled his broken nose and coughed—there was a very unpleasant odor emitting from the man, and despite his breathing problems, he could _taste_ the foulness even in his mouth.

"I know I don't smell pleasant lately," the man continued, "but its part of my disguise. You should know that more than anyone, _pupil_."

"T-tsu?" Ryoushi's eyes then widened. "Master Tsu? Is that—I thought—how did—"

"There you go, chirping again," Tsu chided, shaking a dirty finger. "But enough lounging around here. I know what you've been up to, pupil, and I want you to stop."

"E-excuse me?"

Tsu sniffed and rubbed his nose. "I know you're after those children. There's actually a lot of people after them, to tell you the truth."

"What?" Ryoushi roared. "Did that bitch cousin of mine put up a public bounty?"

"No, no. That fool of a woman is nothing compared to the _others_ who want the children. Mess with them, and you _will_ be considered a threat, no matter how small. Assist them—" Tsu then smiled, showing off his yellow teeth "—and I assure you…you'll be rewarded with more than five million zenni."

"Really? Keep talking old man. You've suddenly got my attention…"

"But first, let's find a bathhouse. I really can't stand this disguise…"

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

**Jiro: (Poofs back into his original form) THANK GODS! I'm me again!**

**Kargo: Whatever. TURMOIL made me do it. Also, I really couldn't stand Sachiko _licking_ you anymore…now she has your disgusting germs. Ick. (Shudders) Mouthwash should take care of that.**

**Jiro: Feh. **

**Kargo: Say, why do fans like the villains of a story? I mean, in the DB series, Vegeta is considered cool.**

**Jiro: I dunno. Why _do_ the people like Vegeta so much? He's an asshole who only thinks of himself most of the time, and only showed a major change in the Buu arc of the show.**

**Kargo: Funny that you're saying that. Especially considering you have similar attitudes with him.**

**Jiro: (Gasp) I DO NOT!**

**Vegeta: (In HFIL) I most certainly agree! He does not, in any manner, act like me! The Prince of all Saiyajins!  
**

**Kargo: Do too.**

**Jiro: Silence freak, or I'll blast you to oblivion!**

**Kargo: See?**

**Jiro: SHUT UP GODDAMN IT!**

**Sachiko: (Oblivious) Oh boy. I have no idea why they fight so much all the time…Oh! (To audience) Hi everyone! Next time, the four of us sneak into a city to get the last part Hideaki needs to fix the Dragon Radar Vidwatch! But somehow, I end up getting lost! Oh fudgecookies! Excuse me sir, can you tell me where I can find…wait a second. I know you...**

**Read and Review. (By the way, the conversation between Kargo and Jiro is not a question directed at the audience. It's just there for laughs, so please don't write your opinions on why you think Vegeta is cool...unless you want to. Then...I dunno. Sorry for any confusion!)**


	32. Orders

Jiro: TURMOIL is poor. Enough said.

Kargo: We're going to go in a slightly different direction this time. Sachiko was slightly depressed last chapter, so TURMOIL thought that it should carry over to this chapter, for a change in pace.

Jiro: You know, our author's been watching the "Lord Slug" movie lately. She finds it hilarious that Gohan's whistling can hurt Piccolo. She keeps going back and watching it again…and again…and again…

Kargo: (Twitching) HEY! Piccolo has a point! That whistling is annoyingly high-pitched! I'd rip out my own ears too of someone came along, whistling that obnoxious song…

Jiro: (Raises brow): Oh _really_? (Whistles a low tune)

Kargo: HA! That's too low-pitched, you fool! You can't do it…nyah-nyah! (Sticks out tongue)

Sachiko: Hey guys! Check out this song Gohan-san taught me! Listen! (Whistles exact same song Gohan used in Movie Four)

Kargo: (Twitches)

Sachiko: And you know? I can do it even higher too! (Whistles song in such a high-pitch that glass shatters)

Kargo: …IT BURNS! MY EARS! THEY _BLEED!_ (Rips out ears) YAAAAAAAAH! OW! NOW MY EARS HURT EVEN MORE! (Runs away screaming about the pain)

Jiro: …Baka. What the hell did he expect after he ripped his ears out? That it _wouldn't_ hurt?

Sachiko: (Sweatdrops) I guess…he didn't like it…

**_Chapter Thirty-Two: Orders_**

She was there on orders.

Sipping daintily at her strawberry smoothie, the middle-aged woman sat quietly on a white bench in front of the South City Square Mall. Her glasses hung perfectly on the bridge of her nose, the lenses so thick that it was impossible to see her eyes. Her black hair was tied back into a perfect bun, without a single strand of hair out of place. Her light green dress was perfectly ironed, and spotlessly clean. Her white shoes had not a speck of dirt on them, and the laces were tied so neatly, so perfectly, that it was impossible to think of them ever coming untied.

Her name was Dr. Reina. She was there on orders.

Despite her age, she was one of the newer scientists of the South City branch of Capsule Corporation. It was ludicrous to imagine those of a higher position, like Head of Research Hideaki Kutai, ever coming into contact with someone like her. And then…just like that…Miss Department Head had come to her with a "secret project."

Reina was a good little scientist. She followed Hideaki Kutai's orders.

To make a regular Vidwatch into some sort of tracking device. To change its technology so that it could combine with knowledge lost long ago. It was strange. Stranger still when Hideaki, after being absent for weeks, suddenly contacted her and told her that she needed her again, for the same project.

Reina was a good little scientist. She followed Hideaki Kutai's orders.

She sipped at the last of the smoothie, positioning the straw in such a way that none of the pink liquid would touch and stain her pale lips. When she finished, she set the empty cup aside, and reached into the perfectly pressed pocket of her perfectly ironed dress. She paused for a moment, before pulling out a small black case.

Inside was a chip, a chip that was essential to the project of the altered Vidwatch. She was told to wait for Hideaki Kutai to show up. There would be three companions with her, two boys and one small girl. She and Miss Department Head would chat, like high school girls, to avoid suspicion from passerby. Then she would hand the chip over. Reina stared at the case lifelessly, before she slipped it back into her pocket as several policemen walked by.

She was there on orders. For now, she would follow Hideaki Kutai's.

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

"Is the last part so rare that it's only located in the cities, Jiro?"

"Yes, Sachiko—hey! Keep off my…HEY!"

Good news: Shigaisen had come and gone, and now they were a couple of hundred thousand zenni richer. With said riches, the last few weeks had been spent trying to repair the damage done to the Dragon Radar Vidwatch, and now it was almost as good as new. Almost.

That led to the bad news: The last needed part was in a very, _very_ dangerous location, a place where they could easily get caught by local authorities. South City.

It wasn't particularly South City itself that was a problem. All cities, whether it was East, West, North, or South, were dangerous for the group. The main reason lay in the fact that in the cities, technology was _everything_. From the moving sidewalks to the floating video screens to the robotic aides, there was nothing that technology didn't touch, particularly Capsule Corp. technology.

Henceforth, that meant that Hideaki and Jiro were very well known, and very easily recognized.

"This is so _fucking_ stupid," Jiro growled as Sachiko placed a blue baseball cap on his head. Hiding behind a bush in the outskirts of South City, Jiro glanced at his disguise, and scowled in displeasure. "This is ridiculous. I look like a goddamn retard."

"I think you look nice," Sachiko said softly, a small smile making its way through her face as she straightened out his outfit. The older boy snorted in disbelief. Of course she would think he looked nice—_she_ chose the goddamned outfit, after all.

His new look consisted of a white baseball shirt, with the words, "GO TEAM GO!" stitched on the back in bubbly blue letters. He had _very _reluctantly exchanged his jeans for khaki-colored cargo shorts, and his expensive, steel-toed boots for a pair of cheap white sneakers. Just when he thought things couldn't get worse, the small girl had topped off the outfit with _headwear_…a three-zenni, run-of-the-mill, blue baseball cap, which covered most of his black hair, and shadowed the top half his face.

Ugh. He felt so…so…average.

"There!" Sachiko exclaimed, as she stepped back to admire him. "You look just like a baseball star! How do you feel?"

"Ridiculous," he muttered, his face deadly serious.

"Oh." Sachiko blinked for a moment, before her lips pursed into a small pout. "R-really, Jiro? You don't like it? I thought that you looked very cute…"

"…" Jiro turned his face away, effectively concealing his darkened cheeks.

_Cute,_ his mind whispered._ She said you were cute. She actually took note of your physical appearance! It's about FUCKING time! Now say something NICE to her, you idiot!_

His earlier anger about wearing common clothing faded somewhat, and was quickly replaced by a _very_ large ego boost. Now, more pleasant thoughts cascaded through his brain, including the fact that Sachiko's outfit, though childish, was NOT degrading to his manhood like Rosa's was.

Man-whore…ugh.

"You know," Jiro said, in a nicer tone, "these clothes aren't _really_ that bad. I'm just not used to wearing white…or headwear of any sort. That's all. It's actually acceptable, really, once you get past the bubbly letters…"

"Goody!" Sachiko immediately brightened up. "Happy I am to hear that! Now, let's go see what Hideaki chose to wear! I'm sure she'll comment on how great you look too! Come on!" Before Jiro could say a word, the small girl grabbed his arm and began to pull him towards the hovercraft, where Hideaki was putting on her disguise.

He didn't complain, for once. Normally he would try to pull away from her when she held his hand, hugged his arm, patted his head, or touched his shoulder. Hell, occasionally he even cursed her if she got too close…but after Shigaisen, after she almost bashed Ryoushi Ganjou's head in (which he completely admired her for), she seemed sort of depressed.

He used the word "sort of" very tentatively, because she didn't actually act depressed—she still went around smiling that over-cheerful smile of hers, always acting as peacekeeper between him and the freak. But there was _something_ off about her behavior. Something…

"Jiro? Are you listening to me?"

Jiro jerked himself out of his thoughts, and turned to see Sachiko staring at him worriedly. "You okay?" she asked. "You looked kind of spaced out…"

"I'm fine. I was just thinking."

"Oh. Um…what were you thinking about?"

Jiro frowned slightly. "Why do you want to know?"

"Well, I'm just curious. Were you thinking about the dragonballs? Oh, I know…you were thinking about the Dragon Radar Vidwatch thingie. Or were you maybe thinking about—"

"It's none of your business!" Jiro snapped, before he could stop himself.

Sachiko flinched at his tone, and looked away. "Okay then…" she said quietly. "I'm sorry for bothering you Jiro. I'll be quiet now." She released his arm.

His blood suddenly froze in his veins, and his teeth clamped down on his tongue. _You stupid idiot,_ his mind hissed. _You stupid…IDIOT! Stupid, stupid IDIOT! How could you yell at her NOW? YOU FOOL!_ "Um, Sachiko…I…um…I didn't mean to—"

"Come on. Hideaki and Kargo are waiting for us." Sachiko walked on ahead of him, her shoulders drooping slightly despite the plastered smile on her face.

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

"I make even the dorkiest outfits look good."

As they stood on the city's moving sidewalk, Hideaki twirled around in her brown skirt and white blouse. A light pink sweater was tied around her neck, and her hair was tied into a messy bun, with two pencils sticking out of the light blue tresses. Her eyes were covered by thick, circular black glasses, glasses so thick that neither Sachiko nor Kargo nor Jiro could see her eyes through the obnoxiously thick lenses. In all, she looked like a mousy desk secretary, and nothing like her usual businesswoman self.

"Can you even see through those?" Kargo asked, trying not to laugh as Hideaki's glasses slid to the tip of her nose. "They seem oversized. _Very_ oversized."

"The glasses were based on a muse," Hideaki declared, trying to keep the eyewear on her face. "Anyway, it's just until we meet Rei."

Jiro, who had been standing slightly ahead of the group, looked back at his sister. "Who's Rei?" he asked.

"Dr. Reina, actually," Hideaki admitted. "She's the other scientist who worked with me on the Dragon Radar Vidwatch. She's a recent addition to the research team, and she's a bit of a neat freak, but she's incredibly clever…though not as clever as me, of course! Anyway, she wanted to meet us at South City Square Mall. Once she gives us the part, we'll be out of here faster than you can say . And YES, that _is_ a word," Hideaki explained, sweatdropping slightly at the dumbstruck looks of the three youths.

"Um…we'll take your word for it," Kargo said, laughing weakly. Honestly, he had never heard such a word before in his life, and neither did Sachiko, which meant… The corners of the Namek's lips twitched, and from under his hood, he looked down at the small girl who was currently linking arms with him, expecting her to have a confused look on her face.

Yep. Confused she definitely was. _Right on schedule, Sachi-chan…_

"Um…Hideaki-chan?" Sachiko asked meekly.

"Hmm?" Hideaki turned to Sachiko, peering at the small girl over her glasses. "What's up?"

"Um…what's pie—pie—tree—pietree—"

"Huh?" Hideaki blinked for a moment, before she grinned. "Oh! You mean '.' Don't bother yourself with that word, Sachiko-chan. It's just something I read in a book. Um, Sachiko-chan? You listening to me?"

Sachiko didn't seem to hear her. She was still trying to pronounce the incredibly long and ridiculously hard word. "Pie—pietris—pietris—ca—oh fudgecrackers," she muttered. Kargo laughed, and tightened their linking arms.

He was glad for this moment. He had been worried after the events in Shigaisen that there was something wrong with Sachiko, because although she still seemed like _herself_, she seemed to be constantly worried about something. At first he blamed himself for her behavior, because he and Jiro didn't really talk to her after her fight with Ryoushi. The fight obviously had had a negative impact on her, and she seemed to want some comfort, but he had a good reason for avoiding her after the battle.

He thought that she had been on the verge of turning into that…that _creature_ again.

No physical changes occurred, but the look on her face was nearly identical to the expression of hatred on the creature's face, minus the gold hair, the demon eyes, and the cracked skin. It scared him, and he had been wary even after Sachiko suddenly stopped her vicious assault.

He had quietly observed her for days afterward, their interactions with each other somewhat awkward. Eventually, he deemed that she was more or less back to normal, and their normal routines continued. Now, however…he wondered if he had done the right thing by avoiding her for so long.

"You and Jiro think too much."

Pulling himself out of his thoughts, Kargo looked down and peered into a pair of annoyed gold eyes. "W-what do you mean?" he asked, keeping voice perfectly calm.

Sachiko pursued her lips slightly, and looked away. "I've been talking to you for the last five minutes. You haven't heard a word I said."

"I'm sorry!" Kargo apologized. "It's just that…well…"

"You and Jiro always seem to be thinking now," she said quietly. "What are you two doing that's so private? And how come you two won't tell _me_?"

"Um…well…" Kargo looked away, panicking slightly. _Distraction, distraction…I need a distraction!_

"Sis," he heard Jiro yell suddenly to Hideaki, "you're such a goddamn _nerd_! OW!"

_Thank you, oh great heavens above! _Kargo grinned as Sachiko's attention turned to Hideaki, who was grinding her knuckles rather painfully on the top of Jiro's head. "Oh wow," Sachiko whispered. "She's really letting him have it, Kargo-kun…"

"Ow!" Jiro yelped. "Ow, ow, OW! STOP THAT! What the fuck did I do now, bitch?"

The older Kutai sibling let out a snort, before she retorted, "Oh, you are so full of yourself! I have MANY reasons to slap you silly, but for the sake of time, I'll just name the top three! Reason one—" Hideaki stuck out a finger "—you insulted me. Again! How many times do I have to tell you? Don't call me a nerd, and don't you dare call me a _bitch_!"

"But you _are_ a bitch!" Jiro snapped back, before ducking as Hideaki attempted to poke him in the eyes with her now two extended fingers. "HEY!"

"Reason two!" Hideaki continued, her voice becoming progressively angrier. "You've been a total bastard for the last fifteen minutes! I don't care why you're mad. You don't have the right to take it out on everyone else!"

"Amen to that," Kargo agreed as he nodded solemnly. Sachiko covered her mouth with her hands as she giggled softly.

"Shut up freak!" Jiro snarled, his eyes narrowing under his baseball cap. "I can be as mad as I fucking want, to _anyone_ I fucking want! It's a free country!"

"_Reason three_!" Hideaki yelled, a third finger joining the other two. She paused for a minute, her three fingers dangling in front of Jiro's face. "Um...reason three…"

"_Yes_?" Jiro asked tauntingly. "What is it? Or don't you have one?"

"Shut up! Um…reason three…" Hideaki looked around, and her eyes widened suddenly. Without warning, she grabbed the three youths and dragged them off the mobile sidewalk, toward a very, _very_ large white building in a very, _very_ spacious, square-shaped area.

"HEY!" Jiro yelled, trying to pull free. "Let go, bitch!"

"Reason three!" she yelled, as she dragged them towards the building at top speed, "Dr. Reina is just ahead, and we want to make a good impression! I don't want to scare her off with that disgusting vocabulary of yours, little brother!"

"BITCH!"

"Hideaki?" Sachiko piped up as she dangled on Kargo's arm. "Um, could you let go of Kargo? I think you're…um…hurting him…"

The Namek gasped slightly—Hideaki had grabbed him by the collar and was unknowingly choking the life out of him. "H-Hideaki! Can you—ack! I can't brea—" Kargo got cut off as Hideaki suddenly stopped just in front of the white building, and gasped in relief when she finally released him.

"Rei!" Hideaki cried out, and Kargo looked up, panting…to see the mousiest woman he had ever met in his life.

_Ah. So that's where Hideaki got her muse._

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

Sachiko unhooked her arm from Kargo's and gently rubbed his back as he tried to regain his breath. "You okay?" she asked.

"Y-yeah…" Kargo coughed for moment, before finally taking a deep breath.

"Hello Miss Kutai," the woman said in a very low, monotone voice. "I hope your trip here has been pleasant."

_Eep! She sounds like a machine_! In the midst of backrubbing, Sachiko turned her head to sneak a quick peek at the woman, and almost shivered visibly when her eyes fell on the perfect neatness. _Aieeee! Scary! How can anyone be so…trim? She should at least smile…or take off her glasses. I can't see her eyes._

"It's been interesting, Rei," Hideaki replied, taking a seat next to the middle-aged woman on the bench. "I've seen and learned some interesting things on the way…and not all has been pleasant. We should do more for the towns and villages, in my opinion."

"I agree." Dr. Reina slowly turned her head to the side, her gaze falling on Jiro, who was leaning against the wall of the building with a rather bored look on his face. The woman's eyes fell on Kargo, who seemed to be enjoying his backrub…eek! She was still giving him a rub? Sachiko flushed, and took her hands off her friend. ("Hmm? What's wrong?" Kargo asked, looking somewhat disappointed. "I was enjoying that…") The small girl took a step backwards, trying to sneak off unnoticed…only to realize that Dr. Reina was now focused on her.

_Ack! Ack! What should I do? Oh, I know. I'll say hi, and then I'll say I need to go potty!_

"Um…hello!" Sachiko greeted, waving somewhat pathetically at the older woman. "I'm Sachiko! Pleasure to…meet…you…" Sachiko's cheerful demeanor faltered slightly when she saw Dr. Reina smile at her.

It wasn't a smile she liked at all. She had seen a look like that only once before…when she had encountered Cell in HFIL. Out of all the horrible things he had done to her—squeezing her poor tail, his refusal to leave her alone, his attempting to kill her, etc.—what she remembered and feared the most was that smile he had given her. That smile of absolute cruelty.

No! She was probably just seeing things! Dr. Reina couldn't be cruel, right? She helped make the Dragon Radar Vidwatch! She had to be good…she had to be! _Right_?

"That girl is adorable, Miss Kutai," Dr. Reina said in her monotone voice. "Is she your relative?"

Hideaki laughed. "Sachiko-chan? Oh no, she's not my relative…though I wish she was. It'd make me a little more proud to be a Kutai, that's for sure. Hey, Sachiko!" Hideaki waved at her to come over. "Sachiko-chan! Come sit down with us!"

Sachiko fidgeted. _I don't wanna sit down! I don't wanna sit down! _"Um…um…I have to go potty…"

"What?" Hideaki cried. "I told you to go before we left the hovercraft!"

"I'm sorry," Sachiko whispered, lowering her eyes to the ground. _Oh, please…let's just go…I don't want to stay here!_

Dr. Reina's smile disappeared, replaced by a lifeless look. "The child does not look well," she said emotionlessly. "Perhaps we should just finish this transaction." Dr. Reina reached into the pocket of her perfectly ironed dress, and pulled out a small black case. "Here you go, Miss Kutai. This should be exactly what you are looking for."

Sachiko watched as Hideaki took the case and peeked inside. A smile quickly made its way through the young woman's face, and Hideaki gave Dr. Reina a look of absolute gratitude. "Oh, thank you Rei! Thanks so much!" She pressed a large roll of money into the older woman's hand, before she turned to the three youths and grinned. "Okay guys! Back to the ship! No time to waste!"

"Eh? But this is the first time we've been in a city for months!" Jiro protested, as he pushed himself off the wall of the building. "Can't we even have _lunch_? Just a quick stop at one of the Cyber One-Eight restaurants?"

"Silencio, estupido!" Kargo snapped, already walking towards the moving sidewalk. "Stop complaining and move your lazy boy ass!"

"LAZY? I am not lazy!"

"Sorry. I meant _shallow_."

"You son-of-a-bitch!"

"Likewise!"

Sachiko sighed as she and Hideaki followed the two bickering boys. Normally she would have tried to stop them, but she just wanted to get out of the city. _Maybe Grandpa had a point about technology after all_, Sachiko thought._ If there are more people like Dr. Reina, then technology is a very scary thing, made by very scary people._

She knew it wasn't fair to judge Dr. Reina like that, for the woman _was_ helping them get the dragonballs…but she just couldn't get over that smile. It just seemed…unnatural.

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

Her orders were not complete.

Reina watched as the small group headed off towards the moving sidewalks, her eyes particularly focused on the small girl. When she was sure they were out of earshot, she took out a green Vidwatch from her other pocket, and slowly, carefully, inserted a code.

She waited. Her orders were not complete.

There was a small _ping_, followed by a rough voice. "Yeah? Who is it?"

"It's Rei," the woman said in her monotone voice. "The children are headed for the exit. You know what to do."

"Yes ma'am."

"Remember…he doesn't care about the older ones. Do what you wish with them, but make sure the Namek and the girl are brought _alive_."

"Yes ma'am."

The middle-aged woman turned off her Vidwatch, and slipped the device back into her pocket. She calmly folded her hands on her lap, and lifted her face towards the sky, letting her glasses glint with sunlight.

Her lips slowly turned upwards, forming a horrible, teeth-bared smile.

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

"Damn!" Hideaki swore. "It's rush hour…"

The mobile sidewalk, empty when they had entered the city, was now completely crowded with people. People were pushing and shoving one another as they moved up and down the walk—and that was just because they wanted a little breathing room.

Sachiko cringed as she was smooshed between Kargo and a really, really fat man. Jiro and Hideaki were smooshed a little further ahead of them, stuck in a group of schoolgirls who, apparently, had a thing for young boys dressed in a baseball uniform. ("Sachiko!" Jiro had screamed before he was dragged away by the love-struck schoolgirls. "This is all YOUR fault!")

Oy. Even canned sardines had more space than this. She sighed, and tried to wiggle her way towards the edge of the mobile sidewalk for more room.

"Sachi-chan!" Kargo called out, as he tried to wiggle after her. "Don't separate! You might get lost—aieeeee!" Sachiko sweatdropped as a horde of people rushed to occupy her previous spot. Kargo shrieked as he was buried alive under a mass of businessmen and women, and quickly vanished out of sight.

Uh-oh.

"Kargo!" She tried to push her way back, to save Kargo…but the fat man, not fond of losing the little breathing room he had just obtained, rudely shoved her aside with surprising strength. Sachiko yelped as she stumbled backwards, and gasped when her rear end fell flat onto another mobile sidewalk…an emptier, more spacious sidewalk…that was going in the _opposite_ direction.

Uh-oh!

"Kargo-kun!" she yelled, attempting to run back towards her friend. She ran, and ran, and ran….but realized that while she was running, she wasn't moving. She looked down, and cried in despair when she realized that while she was running one way, the mobile walk was moving in the other direction. She took a quick glance at the other sidewalk, and saw absolutely _no_ room for her to jump on.

UH-OH!

Flying. Flying would have solved everything, but Hideaki had told her NOT to use her ki under ANY circumstances when in the city. Ki just wasn't used amongst regular civilians, and seeing a child _flying_ would grab too much attention…

AGH! What was she supposed to do? What was she supposed to _do_?

"Kargo!" she screamed, as the walk took her further and further away from her friends. "Jiro! Hideaki! HELP! Stop this crazy thing!"

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

"GET AWAY FROM ME!"

Jiro burst through the schoolgirls and forcefully plowed his way through the thick mass of people, knocking several of them completely off the sidewalk as he did so. The girls screamed for him to come back, but he merely hissed in their direction, and continued to push, kick, and shove his way to freedom.

"Blah! Jiro! Jiro-kun!" Hideaki cried as she tried to keep up with him. "Kargo and Sachiko are still behind us! Stop kicking people over! You'll attract attention! AGH! Wait for me!"

Jiro shook his head, before he turned around, re-shoved the people he had just knocked down, grabbed Hideaki, and pulled her forcefully through the masses.

"W-wait!" Hideaki squeaked. "What about—"

"They'll be fine!" Jiro growled, running and shoving as fast as he could towards the end of the walk. Seeing their exit, he kicked another passerby aside before he hopped off the walk, pulling a much disheveled Hideaki behind him.

"D-don't…don't do that…again…" she stammered, shaking slightly. Jiro snorted, before he scanned the walk for the others. Businessman, businesswoman, communist, fat bastard, slut, business man, businesswoman, etc…AHA! The freak!

He stared at the scene for a moment, before a snicker escaped his lips. Kargo was struggling to get out from under the group of people who were currently standing on him…particularly a very, very fat man. For a moment, the human teen was tempted to just leave the freak there…but that wouldn't sit well with the last member of their little group…Jiro sighed, before he dived back into the walk (again, shoving civilians harshly aside) and grabbed Kargo by the antennae, ignoring the other boy's pained shrieks as he dragged them both out. The minute they were off the walk, Jiro release Kargo and jumped back as the Namek swiped at his head.

"BASTARD!" the Namek screamed. "Don't you know how sensitive my antennae are, you JERK?"

"Oh, be grateful," Jiro sneered. "I could have just let that porky bastard flatten you. But I know that Sachiko would have hated me forever if I let that happen, so there we go."

Kargo growled, but said nothing. Instead, he turned his gaze back to the walk. "Did Sachiko come out yet?"

"Eh? I thought she was with you!"

"WHAT?" Kargo stared at him in horror. "She went off on her own for a minute! I would have gone after her, but I had…problems…anyway! I thought maybe she went to find you!"

"I had problems of my own!" Jiro yelled, narrowing his eyes as he remembered the horde of baseball-crazy schoolgirls. "Damn it! You were supposed to be watching her!"

"Um…guys?"

"BUTT OUT HIDEAKI!" both boys roared, twisting their heads to glare at her angrily…before they simultaneously froze.

The older girl was pinned in the arms of what appeared to be a police officer. There were several other officers behind him, all smirking, all armed…all holding a blaster similar to the ones seen at the Susanoo villages.

One thought ran through the boys' heads at that moment. _Shit._

The officer holding Hideaki grinned, before he said, "For the sake of Miss Hideaki Kutai, please cooperate and come with us. Otherwise—" the other officers cocked their guns loudly "—you'll have to face the consequences. And I don't think you want to face the consequences."

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

"I am sorry. There is no information on the question, 'Do you know where my friends are, Robot-san?' Please rephrase your statement."

Sachiko bit her lip as she stared helplessly at the robot. She had asked the same question to the last five robotic aides, and they had all given her the exact same response. _Please rephrase your statement…_

Some aides they were! For large square hunks of metal that were stationed every five blocks, they were surprisingly unhelpful!

"I wanna find Hideaki, Jiro, and Kargo-kun!" she yelled, her hands gripping the edges of the metal. "I wanna find my friends! You're supposed to help me, you technology thing-a-ma-bob! Why won't you help me?"

"Dove? Is that you, my Dove?"

_Dove_? Sachiko blinked, before she frowned and turned around. "My name's Sachiko," she said, frustrated. "Why are you calling me Dove?"

In front of her was a boy who looked no older than sixteen. Worn and slightly torn clothes covered his thin form. His jet-black hair hung over his face, his bangs completely concealing his eyes. His mouth was open, as through from pleasant surprise, and his dusty brown bag fell from his shoulder, his arms having completely gone limp.

"Dove…don't you remember me?" he asked, his voice almost a whisper. "It's _me_…"

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

**Jiro: FINALLY! This lame ass chapter is done!**

**Kargo: Wait a minute. Who's that guy at the end? HOW DOES HE KNOW SACHI-CHAN?**

**Jiro: Huh. Good question. (Glares at Sachiko) Answer it now, girl!**

**Sachiko: Huh? I dunno who he is! See the third-to-last paragraph? I don't immediately recognize him!**

**Kargo: What do you mean, "immediately?" You KNOW him, don't you?**

**Sachiko: Um…um…gotta go potty! (Runs away)**

**Kargo: Hey! HEY! **


	33. Trusted Touch

Sachiko: We don't exist in canon, therefore our author doesn't own the DB series.

Kargo: There are a lot of flashbacks in this chapter. TURMOIL hates using them, but they're needed to explain where the new boy came from.

Sachiko: Anyway…it's our author's birthday! Happy birthday to our author! (Sings cheerfully) Happy birthday to you!

Kargo: (Sings jazzy style) Happy birrrrrthday…tooooo….you.

Jiro: …

Sachiko: … (Sweatdrops)

Kargo: … (Sweatdrops)

Jiro: …

Sachiko: (Whispers) Jiro! Sing!

Jiro: …

Sachiko: Jiro! You were supposed to sing Happy Birthday! "Little Richard" style!

Jiro: Ah, fuck it! I'm not singing to that bitch! ESPECIALLY not Little Richard style! Good golly, Miss Molly!

Kargo: Like it or not, the bit—I mean, our _beloved_ author created us you asshole! Now, let's not risk our entire existence! Sing you asshole!

Jiro: Go suck my—

Censor Person: Let's keep the sexual content PG-13, people!

Jiro: —banana. Go suck my banana, freak. (Grumbles) Stupid censor nut.

Sachiko: You have bananas, Jiro? It must be banana pudding if you can suck on it! Can I suck on the banana pudding?

Jiro: (Grins perversely) Heeheehee…

Kargo: (Freaked out) WAAAAH! Sachiko, you will do no SUCKING on anyone or anything for the duration of this story! THAT INCLUDES BANANAS IN ANY SHAPE OR FORM!

Sachiko: But Kargo, I ate bananas all the time back at the village. You know that!

Kargo: NO MORE TALKING ABOUT BANANAS!

**_Chapter Thirty-Three: Trusted Touch_**

The cook twisted the dial on his radio, trying to get something other than static. He was rewarded a second later, when a man's voice suddenly blared through the speakers.

"_There has been another murder in the area, the victim being another young male around the age of twelve and fifteen, with black hair and blue eyes. Local authorities are now on the lookout for a serial killer, one who seems to be cannibalistic, with very small and crooked teeth. Males with dark hair and blue eyes are advised to stay inside, and even change their outer appearance if possible…"_

"Excuse me."

The cook turned around, and yelped when he found himself staring into the icy blue eyes of his boss. He gulped nervously, his gaze falling to the hem of her white skirt before he managed to squeak out, "H-hello, ma'am. Lov-lovely day, isn't it? Heh…heh…"

"Lovely indeed," the woman whispered, brushing her light blonde hair away from her eyes. The man froze as she suddenly leaned in very close to his face, so close that their noses were almost touching. His breath caught in his throat when she began to speak in a soft, throaty whisper, each word brushing against his face in a chilling, almost sensual manner. "Let me get one thing straight with you. When I hired you, it was so that you can cook delicious, satisfying meals for my customers. I trusted you to do your job diligently, proficiently, and without _distraction_."

The woman pulled back, and the cook released the breath he was holding in choked bits, too afraid to make another move. Suddenly, his boss grabbed the radio on the shelf and yanked it out by the cord, throwing the device into the nearest trash can as the other cooks winced and turned away. The man's jaw dropped—the woman did all this without even the slightest emotion on her face.

"I don't tolerate my employees getting distracted," the woman said coolly, straightening the white sleeves of her blouse while not caring in the slightest that she had just thrown away a perfectly good radio that wasn't even hers. "You're new, so I'll forgive you. Once. But if I find you slacking off again—" the woman's eyes narrowed "—I'll fire your ass in a second. Got it?"

The cook could only nod dumbly.

"_Good_." The woman's lips curved into a cold smile before she turned on her heel and left, her white stilettos echoing dismally through the silent kitchen. No one spoke for the longest time; they were afraid that the slightest sound of discontent would reach their employer's ears.

She was Kikai Ichihatsu, the founder and head of the famous restaurants, Cyber One-Eight. Though the restaurant name was relatively new, Kikai had built up several chains all over the cities, making Cyber One-Eight an instant hit with all the age groups.

Complex as poetry, yet charismatically addictive. Never wearing the same outfit twice, she was a complete ice queen, showing minimal emotion and sympathy to even her closest associates. Common sense would have made many abandon her from the moment they met her, but they stayed because 1) she was very beautiful and 2) also very charming when it came to the public. Kikai knew just what to say at just the right time so that she would receive the favor of those with wealth and power, making her restaurants even more famous than they already were. She had the looks, the brains, and the cold will needed to be a good businesswoman…and all of her employers knew this.

The only thing that they didn't know was her past. No one knew even a scrap of Kikai Ichihatsu's history, because when asked, she always responded that she, "liked her privacy."

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

**Six years ago…**

_The four-year-old ran, the tears spilling from her face as her bare feet slapped against the hard soil. As the sounds of the waterfall grew louder, her movements became frenzied and uncontrollable, her breathing becoming more and more ragged as she began to tire._

"_I don't— wanna do it," she panted. "They can't—make me!"_

_The child gasped as she tripped over a stone and fell flat on her face, the skin on her arms scraping painfully against the rocky ground. For a moment she laid there, only the roar of the river reaching her ears as her body tried to get over the shock of her fall. She laid there, knowing fully well that any minute now, he would find her. She laid there, knowing fully well she would get in trouble for running away. _

_She knew all these things in her young, inexperienced mind. Yet she couldn't do anything except lay on the ground._

_Sachiko sniffed, and curled her brown tail around her waist. _

"_Hey. Are you okay, girl?"_

_She felt a hand cautiously touch her head. She looked up, and saw a boy dressed in dirty rags kneeling before her. He seemed no older than ten years of age, and he staring back down at her intensely…at least, she thought he was staring down at her. His jet-black bangs were so long that it completely blocked his eyes from view. _

"_How—how can you see?" Sachiko asked, her voice cracked slightly from her crying. "You—you gots no eyes, mister raggedy boy."_

_The older boy blinked for a moment, before he let out a low chuckle. "Well. Aren't you an interesting little thing. You're like a baby dove, I'll tell you that."_

"_I am?" Despite her tears, Sachiko gave the boy a small smile. "W-who are you?"_

"_I'm Ke," the boy said, returning her smile. "It's pronounced as K-E-H. What are you doing here? You don't even have any shoes on."_

_The small girl stared at the boy for a moment, before she sat up and brushed her tears away from her eyes. "Mister raggedy boy," she whispered. "I'm a little lost. Don't tell anyone…"_

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

**Present…**

"Ke-kun!" Sachiko cried, her eyes widening from surprise. "Sweet mother of Amaterasu, is that really you? Really, really you?"

"I hope I'm me," Ke said, his boyish lips stretched in a grin. "If I wasn't me, then who would I be?"

Sachiko scratched her head. "Huh. Um…if you weren't _you_…then you'd be someone else, right? But!" The small girl smiled, and hugged him tight around the waist. "I know that you're you, therefore you _must_ be my Ke-kun!"

"Exactually," Ke replied, nodding sagely. He placed a hand gently on her head, and sighed as he looked her over. (At least that's what Sachiko _thought_ he was doing. His hair _still_ blocked his eyes after all this time...) "You're so small," he remarked, running a hand through her dark blue tresses. "You're ten now, aren't you? I thought you'd get taller. The only thing that's grown is your hair." He tugged playfully at her locks.

"Nuh-uh! I've gotten a whole lot bigger! My head is higher than your waistline, see?" Sachiko tried to stand on her tiptoes, only to stumble when Ke tipped her over with one finger. "Hey!"

"You're still a baby Dove to me," he taunted. Then, his lips pulled into a frown. "I never imagined that we'd meet here, though. I thought your Grandfather wouldn't let you near any of the cities. What are you doing here?

"Oh…" The small girl bit her lip, before she turned her gaze to the ground. "Ke-kun," she whispered. "I'm a little lost. Don't tell anyone…"

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

Kargo glared at the officers before him, unable to make a move due to Hideaki's little hostage situation. His eyes fell on the weapons pointed at him, and narrowed even further. There was no mistake—the blasters the men were holding were nearly identical to the ones from the Amaterasu and Susanoo villages…

…and they were being held by policemen.

"Let her go!" Jiro yelled, taking a step forward towards the police. The officer holding Hideaki suddenly cocked his gun and held it to the side of her head, emitting a frightened yelp from the young woman.

"Not another step!" the officer yelled, pushing the tip of his weapon hard menacingly against Hideaki's temple. "Unless you want your sister's brains splattered all over the pavement, I suggest you stay where you are, _Master_ Kutai!"

"Yeah Jiro!" Hideaki shrieked. "Don't move you idiot! I don't wanna die! I'm too beautiful and intelligent to die!"

Jiro's eye twitched, both at the officer's insulting tone and his sister's pathetic squeal, but he stopped his advance anyway.

"What do you want?" the Namek asked, not taking his eyes off the guns. "Why the hell are you after us? We haven't done anything wrong here!"

The officer holding Hideaki smirked. "Hey, we're just following orders. The head honcho apparently wants you kids for some reason, but what that reason is, we don't know. So you're outta luck, kid." The officer then stopped. "Wait a minute…" He glanced at Kargo, then at Jiro, then at Hideaki, who looked as if she was about to wet herself. "Where's the little girl? There was supposed to be a little girl with them!"

The other officers exchanged looks. "There were only three of them here, sir," one of them replied. "We didn't see anyone else."

"Fuck! Where the hell did the brat go?"

"W-we don't know, sir…"

As the officers fought amongst themselves, Kargo focused some of his energy to his legs. He threw a quick glance at Jiro, who caught his look and gave a small nod. Then, without a word, Jiro leapt into the air as Kargo quickly crouched down and delivered a low sweeping kick at all of the officers, releasing the ki stored in his leg at the same time. This caused a wave of energy to rush towards the men and knocked every single one of them off of their feet, including the officer holding Hideaki.

Jiro landed from his leap and rushed over to Hideaki, who was trying to untangle herself from the stunned officer's hold. He grabbed her arm roughly and, along with Kargo, ran as fast as he could away from the officers, who were beginning to recover.

"W-what on earth is going on here?" Hideaki cried, trying and failing to keep up with the boys' speed. "Why the hell are they trying to catch us?"

"Less talking, more running!" Jiro snapped as they turned the corner of a building. The three felt their blood run cold when they saw a red blast strike the ground before them, creating a very menacing-looking hole in the concrete.

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

**Six years ago…**

"_You shouldn't cry, Dove. It's making your face look all sad and stuff."_

_Sachiko sniffed as the boy bent down to wipe her tears, before helping her to her feet. Her tail began to swish anxiously on its own accord, and in a panic she pulled away as Ke took her by the hand, causing his mouth to thin slightly._

"_What's up?" he asked. "There a problem with touching other people?"_

"_N-no!" the child cried. "I-it's just that…I…" She tried to hide her tail, but Ke quickly caught sight of it. "No!" Sachiko cried. "Don't look at it! Its—"_

"_What in the world?" Ke gently took a hold of the brown appendage, feeling the soft fur with his fingers. "Great heavens above! This is a tail? **Your **tail?_"

_Sachiko yanked her tail back and wrapped it around her waist. "Don't tell anybody!" the small girl pleaded. "It's supposed to be a secret! Please don't tell!"_

_Before the older boy could answer, a loud, deep voice bellowed through the air. "SACHIKO! Where are you?"_

"_EEK! He's coming!" Sachiko hid behind the boy and held him tightly around the waist, despite the stench that emitted from his body. "I don't wanna go! It's gonna hurt! I don't wanna go!"_

_Ke gave her a questioning stare, but stopped when another, "SACHIKO!" rang through the night air. "Come on," the boy said, taking her by the hand. "If you want to hide, you have to come with me."_

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

**Present…**

"My gods," Ke murmured.

Walking down the city arm in arm, the two stopped in front of a mobile sidewalk, which was finally devoid of people. After stepping on the walk, Ke shook his head mournfully. "This is horrible. I heard about the massacres, but I never thought that your village would be among the largest losses. And your mother…as a cop for the cities, I never thought that she would have died for them…"

Sachiko nodded. "I miss her," she said quietly. "Even though she was always busy, the fact that she was just there made me happy. I don't want her to be dead…" She trailed off, not wanting to think about her mother any longer.

"But look at yourself, Dove," Ke said, his lips thinning. "You're not handling this very well at all."

"W-what do you mean?" Sachiko asked.

"You're chasing some _myth_ that will bring them back from the Underworld. First of all, that's a clear desire to just look for some 'Band-Aid Solution' instead of coming to terms with the situation. You're literally provoking the anger of the Goddess of Death just to bring back some mortal lives, lives that has already passed the Gate of the Dead. This isn't going to make things right."

"The Dragonballs are not a myth!" Sachiko cried angrily. "It's real, and you promised not to talk about that anymore! Anyway, people in the past have done it all the time. Why can't I do it? Why is that so wrong? I just want to fix my mistake, Ke-kun!"

The older boy stopped, and stared at her. "Don't say that. I didn't mean…I just…oh boy. I didn't say that it was your fault…"

Feeling Ke's hand tighten around hers, Sachiko looked up at the older boy with sad eyes. "Do you know what I wish I'd done?" she asked in a small whisper. "I wish I never left the shrine that day. I wish I could have finished the peace prayers."

"Dove, that's not necessarily—"

"I wish I could have helped my mother and grandfather protect the villagers." Sachiko continued, looking down and biting her lip. "I _should _have helped them. But I didn't and it's my fault."

"Dove—"

"I wish that it wasn't," she whispered, holding back the tears. "Kargo-kun says that it isn't, but I just _know_ it is…"

"It's _not_!" Ke said firmly. He bent down on one knee so that they were staring eye-to-hair-covered-eye. "You're blowing this situation way out of proportion. If anything, this whole scenario seems to be this Kargo boy's fault. He's the one who enticed you away from the shrine, is he not?"

Sachiko gasped, and pulled her hand away roughly. "Don't you dare blame Kargo!" she yelled. "He's my best friend! He's doing his best to take care of me right now, and I don't think it's very nice to say such—such horrible things!"

"Huh." Ke crossed his arms, and his lips pursed slightly. "So…are you telling me that it's never once crossed your mind that this might be your friend's fault? Never, ever, _ever_?"

"Never!" Sachiko retorted. "It's my fault, you hear me! Now stop talking about this, please. I don't want to think about Grandpa or Okaasan right now. I just want to find my friends, which _includes_ Kargo-kun." Sachiko turned away, pouting.

Ke scowled slightly, and stood up. "You haven't changed at all," he said, his tone frustrated and angry. "You always have to be the martyr, don't you? You always have to be the all smiling, self-sacrificing _saint_, don't you?"

"What's a martyr?" Sachiko asked, completely missing the furious tones in his voice.

For a moment, there was silence. Then, a sigh. "Think of a person who sacrifices himself for a cause."

"Oh."

"I've been to so many places since we've met," Ke said softly, touching her right shoulder. "I've seen so many things, learned so much information about what's going on…and I've seen so many innocent people suffer. I don't want you to be like them, you know. I don't want to see you unhappy like you are now, or like the last time we met…"

"Actually..." Sachiko frowned. "I don't honestly remember everything that happened the last time we met."

Ke's jaw dropped slightly. "_What_?"

"I don't really like to remember bad things!" Sachiko explained, sweatdropping slightly. "I try not to think about bad things. If I don't think about them, then I forget about them, and then I'm happy again! I haven't forgotten about you though," she added hastily to the now aggravated boy. She grabbed his hand and held it tight. "You were a _good _thing! I'd never forget you!"

The older boy groaned, and shook his head. "Oh _Dove_. You make me so worried…" Suddenly, he stopped, and looked around. Sachiko grew worried; the hand that was holding hers was becoming tense.

"Are you okay?" she asked. Then, without warning, Ke pulled her off the mobile walk and ran back onto the stationary streets, pulling her into the nearest department store in sight. "Ke-kun!" she cried. "What are you—"

"Be quiet!" Ke hissed. "We're being followed."

"What?" Sachiko yelped, and tried to peer out of the department windows. "By who?"

"I don't know, but I don't like the looks of him," Ke muttered, before he pulled her further into the store. "Come on. We have to try to lose him. I think we can hide in the City Park."

"O-okay…but can we buy that water canteen and those paints while we're here?"

"_What_?"

"Please? Pretty please? It's for a friend!"

"…it's not for _Kargo_ is it?"

"Ke-kun!"

"Oh alright…"

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

Jiro tried to fly, only to get dragged back down by Hideaki. "Hey! What the hell, bitch?"

"Jiro!" Hideaki screeched. "We are still in the city! We can't do certain things in public, and that _includes_ flying!"

"Can't we just beat them up then?" Jiro yelled.

"HOW, Jiro-kun?" Hideaki shot back. "Their guns would rip us to pieces! Sachiko got hit with one of those things, and her shoulder _still_ hasn't fully healed!"

"You have a better idea?" Jiro shot back as they dodged another blast from the officers. "Cause if you do, now would be a VERY good time to spit it out!"

The firing suddenly stopped as they approached a crowd in front of a bargain store, and Kargo had an idea. "Come on!" he yelled, and dragged the Kutai siblings into the mass of people. He smirked when he heard the officers swear, before roughly asking the crowd to separate. His smirk grew when the people began to complain. ("If you want to get in line for the sale, officer, go to the back!" one man rudely yelled.) Before the crowd could fully disperse, the three managed to slip away unnoticed.

For now.

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

**Six years ago…**

"_This is my secret sanctuary," Ke said, walking through the underground cave with a hint of pride. "Nobody knows about this place except for me. And the best thing is, no one can ever find this place. Ever."_

_Sachiko looked around her surroundings. The area was oddly spacious, so large that she could have fit a house here if she wanted to. The river apparently flowed here as well as above ground, because there were several pools of fresh water all over the place, even a large body of water that held fish. Above this particular pool was a small opening to the world above, where she could see the night sky dotted with stars. In the corners of the cave grew reeds._

_Here and there was an item belonging to man; a dirty blanket, a blurry photograph of two people she couldn't make out. "Do you live here, Ke-kun?" Sachiko asked innocently, picking up one of the reeds that grew on the ground. "What about your mommy and daddy? Don't they live here with you?"_

"_I don't know what they look like," Ke said bitterly. "I've never even seen them before, and I don't want to. They abandoned me at an orphanage when I was a baby."_

"_Oh. Um, what's an ore-pan-age? And what does a-ban-den mean?"_

"_Er…never mind." Ke muttered. He sat down cross-legged on the ground, and pointed to the blanket. It's gonna get cold tonight, so you take the blanket. I don't need it."_

_Sachiko cocked her head. "Then won't you be cold?"_

"_It's okay. I'm used to it. Besides, you're more important to me right now."_

"_Oh. Okay then." Sachiko went to pick up the blanket, then stopped and looked back at Ke. "Do you think everyone will be mad that I ran away? I mean, I didn't want to, but no one will listen to me…I—I would have told Kargo-kun about it, but I can't see him because he lives too high, and I can't go to his house by myself yet…"_

"_Kargo-kun?"_

"_He's my bestest friend…"_

"_Oh." The ten-year-old boy thought for a moment. "Well, why did you leave in the first place?"_

_There was no response._

"_Dove?"_

"…_well…"_

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

**Present…**

After running from store to store, they had finally reached the park, presumably undetected. Sachiko didn't see what the big fuss was about—she didn't see anyone or anything suspicious at all. Still, Ke was six years her senior, and he was entitled to respect.

Hidden in the shrubbery in the City Park, the small girl added another stroke of dark blue paint to the water canteen. "So, have we lost this person yet?" she asked, blowing on the paint to dry it.

Ke peered through the shrubs suspiciously, before he sighed and plopped down next to her. "Well, we have for now." He turned his shaggy head towards her, and gave an interested glance to her painted water canteen. "Wow…that looks great."

"Really?" Sachiko squealed. She held up the once white canteen, now painted to look like a lake of crystal clear water under a beautiful night sky. The night grass was bowing gracefully to an evening breeze, in the corner were two shadows of people staring at the stars. "Do you think this will make a nice birthday gift?"

"Of course! I think you have a talent for art, Dove. But tell me—" Ke's mouth turned into a scowl "—who's it for?"

Sachiko blushed prettily, before she went back to blowing on the paint. "For a friend."

"Which friend?" Ke persisted.

"The friend who fights. Fighting makes you thirsty, you know!"

"From what you told me, many of your friends are fighters!" Ke complained. "That doesn't quite narrow the field for me, you know! And anyway, I don't like what I'm hearing about the whole lot of them. The city boy, Jiro, sounds rather arrogant and selfish. The other one, Kargo, is a radical dreamer who won't take real responsibility. Honestly Dove, you should make better friends!"

"But I like Kargo and Jiro," Sachiko mumbled, waving the canteen in the air to dry it off. "And it's not like I get to see _you_ everyday. The last time I saw you was two thousand one hundred ninety-one days ago! I don't even know what you've been up to!"

"All you have to do is ask, Dove," Ke said smoothly, touching her left shoulder and giving it a squeeze. "Though I don't think you'd like to hear stories about the North—are you alright?" he asked worriedly when Sachiko let out a whimper. Frowning, he pulled the collar of her white shirt over her left shoulder, and gasped when he saw the still ugly scar she had obtained from the Susanoo villages. "Where did you get this?" he cried.

Sachiko flushed and turned her face away, not answering him. Ke shook his head, and placed a hand on her wound, causing the small girl to flinch slightly. Suddenly, his hand began to glow, until it was completely coated in blue, like a glove. Then, Sachiko's shoulder began to glow as well, and this went on until Ke removed his hand. The glow faded, and Sachiko gasped—her shoulder was as good as new.

"What! How did you—it's so—oh wow!" Sachiko felt her shoulder, and squealed when she felt absolutely no pain. "It's back to normal! What did you do?"

"Healing with spiritual energy," Ke answered. "I learned it during my travels. Very handy. Would you like me to teach you?"

"YES! That's so cool!"

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

"Shit!" Jiro hissed as they hid in a dark garbage filled alley. "What the fuck is wrong with those assholes? Their aim is way too good to be true!"

"Veterans, maybe?" Hideaki suggested, as she leaned against a dumpster. She then frowned, and bit her lip. "This is not good. Mother can't be the one behind this, otherwise we would have seen that bounty hunter with them. Anyway, she wants us alive, not _dead_…"

Kargo growled, and stomped angrily on a soda can. "Then what the hell is going on? Why are _cops_ after us? And where did they get those fucking blasters? Who the hell is doing this to us?"

Silence fell between the three. Hideaki pressed a hand against her forehead, her brow furrowed in thought, before she sighed. "Listen guys. Whoever's after us is after Sachiko-chan as well. She's all alone right now, and if those nuts find her, anything could happen. If she sees those guns, she could even…you know..." Hideaki trailed off, but the boys understood her meaning.

"Right," Kargo agreed, nodding. "We've got to find her, no matter what."

A low chuckle suddenly broke the atmosphere. The three turned around, and froze when they saw several of the officers walking into the alley. "You should stop worrying the little girl," the head officer sneered, "and start worrying about yourselves. Men!"

"Sir, yes sir!" the other officers shouted.

"I'm in a rather dark mood today…so fire on my mark! But make sure not to hit the green one, got it?"

"Sir, yes sir!"

Hideaki and Jiro threw a questioning glance at Kargo, who gave them a look that said, _I-don't-know-what-they're-talking-about-so-stop-looking-at-me-like-that!_

"Ready?" the officer sneered. "Set? FIR—"

"HEY!"

The officer, his men, Kargo, Jiro, and Hideaki all turned towards the speaker, which was a blonde woman wearing a white blouse, a white skirt, and white stiletto heels. She narrowed her ice-blue eyes as she studied the scene before her, and coldly asked, "What's going on here? I can hear your shouting from inside, and it's annoying my customers."

"It's got nothing to do with you ma'am," the officer said smoothly, his voice suddenly like that of warm honey. "It's police business. Please go back inside."

The woman snorted, before she turned her gaze to Kargo, Jiro, and Hideaki. Her eyes passed over Jiro, but widened when they landed on Kargo, and widened even more when they landed on Hideaki. Her jaw dropped slightly, before she whispered, "B-bulma?"

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

**Six years ago…**

"_It's cloudy tonight," Sachiko said, looking at the sky forlornly. Her tail swished sadly from the hole in her pants as her eyes strained through the clouds._

"_That a problem, Dove?" Ke asked._

"_Well…it's supposed to be the full moon."_

"_Huh." Ke snorted, before scratching the back of his head. "It's just the moon. Nothing special."_

"_I know…but I get this fuzzy feeling when I stare at it. Whenever Grandfather cuts my tail off, it always hurts so much. But when I looked at the moon…my chopped up tail would always felt better…" Sachiko stared at the cloudy night sky, and sighed. "The one time I have my tail not cut off, and the clouds come to cover the moon."_

_"I see." Giving the small child a sad smile, Ke gently placed a hand on her head before bending down and kissing her cheek. Sachiko blinked, before she laughed and danced out from under his touch._

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

**Present…**

"Oh monkeyfeathers!" Sachiko moaned, staring at her glowing fingertips. "I still can't get it!"

"You seem to have a problem focusing," Ke observed. He touched his temples, and thought hard. "Hmm. Tell me, Dove, what was your emotional state recently?"

Sachiko cocked her head. "Huh?"

"I mean…how were you feeling lately? Happy? Sad? Angry?"

"Oh! Well..." Sachiko looked away, her face flushed. "I was a little upset over what happened a while ago…"

"Go on."

The small girl gulped, and nervously picked at a scab at her knee. "I was in a tournament a while back. Duing the round where I finally got to fight, I was up against this mean guy. He—" Sachiko's body trembled slightly "—he was beating up Kargo and Jiro, and…I…I found myself…really hurting him." Her fingertips ripped through the scab. "I was so…angry. I've never felt like that before. I mean, I don't _think_ I've felt that way before…I mean…I dunno…"

She continued to pick at her now bleeding knee until Ke forced her to stop. "Answer this," Ke asked quietly. "How do you normally deal with anger?"

"I just try not to get angry," Sachiko answered honestly. "It's a waste of energy, isn't it? Besides, if you get angry, then another person gets angry, then another, and another…it's just not worth it."

Ke stared at her. "You just compress all that anger?"

"I dunno what 'compress' means. I just try not to get angry."

"Oh…boy." Ke touched his temples again. "Oh…boy. That's bad, Dove. You should at least redirect any anger you feel into some sort of output, but keeping it all in? Oh…boy."

"Is it really that bad?" Sachiko asked worriedly. Ke touched his temples for a few more minutes, before he shook his head.

"It's nothing that can't be fixed," he said reassuringly. "But…something has to be done now. Do you mind if I try this little experiment before we go off and find your…er…friends?"

"What is it?"

"Just lie down, and close your eyes," Ke said gently. "I'm going to cleanse your body with spiritual energy. It's a larger version of what I did before, only…there are certain effects."

"What kind of effects?" Sachiko asked curiously.

"Nothing painful if I do this correctly," Ke replied. "Now lie down, darling." Nodding, Sachiko obeyed, and shut her eyes as his hands began to glow again. She felt him press his palm against her forehead, and shivered as she felt a chill run through her spine. "Relax," she heard him whisper. "Think of somewhere you'd like to be. Somewhere you're comfortable. Somewhere you're happy. Inhale."

The small girl took a deep breath, and again felt that chill, only it was stronger this time. Her body even jerked from it.

"Don't exhale yet…try to keep that breath…"

Holding her breath, the chills increased. Sachiko cringed as her body began to jerk continuously—she couldn't stop!

"Just a little longer…longer…"

Jerk, jerk, jerk, chill, chill, chill…she felt her lungs burn…she needed to breathe!

"EXHALE!"

Sachiko gasped, and opened her eyes—only to see a completely different surrounding. Pink skies…luscious meadows…young men, fighting everywhere…

She rubbed her eyes. Maybe she was hallucinating. When she looked up, the scene was still the same. Her jaw then dropped from shock.

She knew this place. She could never forget it. This was Otherworld.

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

**Jiro: You know, our author sucks as an artist. She's trying to draw us, but she keeps messing me up! And as for the freak? I can't even BEGIN to tell you how horrible it is. Bleh!**

**Kargo: (Sweatdrops) Oh shut up. **

**Jiro: I'm serious. She drew Kargo so horribly that _Guru_ looks like a supermodel compared to it!**

**Kargo: (Eye twitches) ANYWAY! Back to the goddamn story, please! Next time, Sachiko re-explores Otherworld, only to find out that there's a tiny, tiny problem. And who's this woman? How does she know about Goku and Dende and stuff? And why did she call Hideaki "Bulma?" WHAT? You think Jiro and Hideaki are WHAT? That's not possible!**

**Sachiko: Actually, a lot of people already figured that out about them…**

**Kargo: Sachiko! Don't say that! It could just be a hugely incidental coincidence!**

**Sachiko: Oh. Okay then! Read and review, everyone!**


	34. Does Anybody See Her?

Sachiko: Our author doesn't own the DB series. But she does own me, Kargo-kun, and Jiro! Isn't that cool?

Jiro: No.

Sachiko: …

Kargo: …

Jiro: …

Kargo: (Slaps Jiro upside the head)

Jiro: OW! Asshole!

Kargo: (Bored) Right back at you, rich boy. As for the readers, it might take some time to get chapters up at this point. TURMOIL's schedule has gotten ridiculously full for the next couple of weeks, and she barely has time to type all this between her projects and reports and whatnot.

Jiro: In other words, the bitch is extremely busy.

Sachiko: Jiro! PLEASE stop cursing! If you keep doing that, more people are gonna ask me to wash your mouth out with soap!

Jiro: Feh! Bring it! Cursing is part of my package baby!

Sachiko: (Sweatdrops) ...why do I even bother?

Kargo: (Pats her on the head) Pay no attention to the stupid one, Sachi-chan.

Jiro: HEY!

Kargo: (Ignores him) Now, to the readers. Just to let you guys know, there's about three major events left in the story at this point. And because each event averages to about three chapters each, there's roughly twelve chapters left after this one. Roughly! Give or take three chapters…

Sachiko: Now you guys can cheer! Or cry. It depends on how you feel, now that there's a countdown.

Kargo: Finally, our author recommends you guys re-read the last chapter before reading this one. Thanks again!

**_Chapter Thirty-Four: Does Anybody See Her?_**

Sachiko blinked, before she shook her head. She was dreaming. It had to be a dream. She couldn't be in Otherworld. She wasn't dead. At least, she _thought_ she wasn't dead…

Her legs wobbled slightly as she stood up. This couldn't be happening. She had to snap out of this. She reached up and pinched her cheek, the classic method of awakening from a slumber…but felt nothing. Nothing at all. She pinched harder, but still felt nothing. Frowning, she glanced at her hand to see what the problem was, then froze.

Her hand was completely transparent.

"EEEEEEEEEEEK!" Sachiko shrieked and shook her hand in the air like a madwoman, as if trying to get a slimy creature off, before she stared at her hand once more. "EEEEEEEEEEEK!" she shrieked again. It was still transparent! What was going on?

"Goten! Come back here!"

Sachiko looked up. In the distance, she could make out two shapes, two shapes that were coming towards her at increasing speed. She squinted a bit, then gasped—it was Goten, being chased by a _very_ furious looking Gohan.

"Give it back!" Gohan yelled, attempting to smack his younger brother across the head. "That's _mine_! Damn it, you're almost six hundred years old! Act your age!"

"Why? So I can be _boring_ like you?" Goten taunted, waving a thick black book into the air as he ran faster. Sachiko sighed and shook her head at the display. Even after all this time, ancestor Goten still wouldn't act seriously…

Wait a minute. They were running at top speed. She was in their line of movement. They were fast approaching her. Why weren't they slowing down?

Her eyes widened. Didn't they see her? Why weren't they stopping? Why were they still running in her direction? "Gohan-san! Goten-san!" she yelped as they drew near. "S-stop running! You're gonna trample on me! Stop, stop, stop, stop! AAAAAAAAH!" With less that a foot separating them, Sachiko shut her eyes and crouched down, waiting for the impact.

She felt a cold sensation run up her spine, and felt a strong wind whip past her. But there was absolutely no pain. She opened her eyes, and saw Gohan and Goten's retreating backs, their figures now far away from her and getting increasingly smaller. In absolute shock, her legs gave out, and she plopped her rear end back onto the grass.

Her mind spun with confusion. Sweet mother of Amaterasu…what just happened? Why didn't she feel anything?

She spied a rock nearby. There was only one thing to do to test out the theory in her head. Biting her lip, she stretched a trembling hand towards the rock, and tried to pick it up. Her fingers paused for a second, before it made contact with the stone. Again, she felt that cold sensation as her hand went right through the rock…all while failing to move it even one inch.

_No…_

"I…I…" Sachiko's entire body was shaking now. A mix of emotion ran through her mind, the most prominent one being fright. She tried to grab the rock over and over again, only to have her fingers slide through the object each time, only to widen her eyes more and more with shock. "I…I'm a ghost," she whispered. "I'm a ghost…"

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

_Bulma?_

Kargo's jaw dropped slightly as he stared at the blonde woman before him. Bulma…that was the name of the woman he had met in Civilian Heaven! The woman with light greenish-blue hair and blue eyes…the woman who, now that he thought of it, _did_ look astonishingly like Hideaki…

Oh fuck. How the hell had he missed this? How?

"Um…you must be mistaken," Hideaki said nervously. "I'm Hideaki Kutai. I don't know any Bulma."

The blonde woman blinked at Hideaki for a moment, before she turned away and sighed. "Stupid," Kargo heard her mutter. "Of course it wouldn't be _her_…probably just one of her young…"

_One of her young_. The Namek's mind clicked. This woman knew about Bulma. It was probably the smell of garbage fogging up his brain, but for some reason, he believed that she was either another descendant of a figure of the past, or she was extremely well taught in myths and old history dating back six hundred years ago. Either way, he'd take any help he could get for the current situation, and fill in the blanks later.

Meanwhile, the officer was attempting to get rid of the woman without arousing suspicion. "I'm sorry ma'am," the officer said in an almost apologetic voice. "But you're gonna have to go back inside. Like I said before, it's police business."

"_Police business_?" Jiro and Hideaki shrieked, only to have several of the other officers point their blasters at them. The head officer sneered at the two siblings, before he gave the woman a smile.

"It's nothing that a fine lady like you should worry about," he said. "So, if you please…" He made a motion towards the direction of the Cyber One-Eight restaurant.

"Hn." The blonde woman cast one more look at the trio, before she sighed. "Whatever. Just keep it down and leave my customers in peace." With that, she turned and began to walk back towards the restaurant.

She was leaving…she was leaving them to die…NO!

"LADY, WAIT!" Ignoring the officer's yell for him to be still, Kargo darted in front of the blonde woman and spread his arms wide in an attempt to block her path. "Lady, please! You have to listen to us! These men are trying to _kill_ us! Those guns—" Kargo pointed frantically at one of the blasters "—they've been using them to slaughter innocent villagers and for some reason they want us DEAD! You've got to help us!"

"Freak, what the hell are you doing?" Jiro hissed. "You trying to get us all killed on the spot?"

"Relax!" Kargo hissed back. "I know almost exactly what I'm doing."

"_Almost_?"

"Just relax!"

"This boy is crazy!" the officer yelled, dropping his polite façade. "He needs to be taken in at once! Please ma'am, leave this area and let us do our job!"

Kargo bit his lip as the woman raised a brow at the officer, before turning her gaze towards himself. The Namek's heart sank—the look on the woman's face plainly said, _Why-the-hell-should-I-help-and/or-believe-you? _"Please," he whispered. "You have to believe me…help us…please…"

A moment of silence. The woman's cold eyes bore right into his, and for a fleeting second Kargo felt as if his insides were turning into ice, as if the blood in his very veins were becoming nothing but freezing water. However, he didn't look away. He couldn't look away. He swallowed nervously and stared back as bravely as he could, hoping that perhaps his small bit of courage would convince this strange woman to help them in some way...

He wasn't sure if it worked or not. A sigh escaped the woman's lips, and she shook her head slowly as she closed her eyes. "What am I getting myself into?" he heard her whisper. Then, she opened her eyes, and gave him an emotionless stare. "Fine," she said quietly. "I'll take care of this."

"Huh?" Well, that wasn't _quite_ the answer he was looking for…

"I said I'll take care of this, okay?" the woman said, her tone becoming harsher, more authoritarian. She pointed at Jiro and Hideaki, and barked, "Take those two and get out of here!"

"But what are you going to—"

"I said go!"

"Yes ma'am!" Kargo quickly grabbed Hideaki and Jiro, and pulled them away, casting a backwards look at the strange woman, who was now taking a professional fighting stance against the officers.

This woman was a fighter? Who would have known?

"Hey freak!" Jiro yelled into his ear as they ran out of the alley. "What the hell are you doing? We can't just leave that woman with those assholes!"

"He's right!" Hideaki shouted in his other ear. "This is crazy! Who does that woman think she is? She'll get killed! Murdered! Brutally massacred!"

Kargo opened his mouth to argue, but stopped when several loud screams erupted from behind them. They turned around, and saw all of the officers trying to shake melted metal off of their hands, shrieking as the molten liquid scorched their skin. Every one of their blasters was gone from their possession, leaving them completely weaponless.

The blonde woman's hand was raised, the index finger stretched out. Emitting from said finger was a dark fuchsia glow which slowly intensified, as did the smirk on the woman's face.

"Boom," she whispered, before she suddenly vanished. In a flash, she reappeared in between two officers, and elbowed one hard in the face, sending him _flying_ into the alley wall. Before the other one could react, the woman quickly grabbed him by the shoulders and drove her knee into his stomach, leaving him gasping for breath. The woman then struck his jaw with her palm, and tossed his body to the ground, leaving him half-conscious and writhing in pain.

A third officer charged at her, screaming a war cry, but the woman simply lifted an open palm, and fired a dark fuchsia ki blast at the man's face.

"AAAGGH!" The burned man staggered backwards, and ran blindly out of the alley, leaving only the head officer with the woman. The blonde gave the head officer a small smile, before she motioned with her hand for him to come towards her.

"I'm waiting," she said in a low, sultry voice.

The officer growled, his fists clenched at his sides. Then, before anyone could blink, he turned tail and ran right out of the alley without even looking back once. Kargo, Jiro, and Hideaki all stared stupidly as they watched the officer scamper away, running a full block and a half before he disappeared around the corner of a building.

The woman slowly walked out of the alley, her white heels clicking softly against the concrete. She placed a hand on her hips, and gave the stunned trio a bored stare. "Well, come along," she said dully, as if she _hadn't_ just beaten an entire group of armed men single-handedly. "We have to put some distance between us and the police. I'm sure that we have many things to discuss, but we can do that as we're leaving the city." She walked on ahead, towards the entrance of the Cyber One-Eight.

"Wait a minute!" Hideaki cried. "Who are you? What you did…it's…it's…who are you?"

The woman stared at Hideaki, her eyes softening slightly, before she looked away. "Here's the pat answer. I'm Kikai Ichihatsu. I'm the owner of the Cyber One-Eight."

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

Ke peered out from behind the shrubs, a frown marring his normally pleasant features.

That presence…the one following them…he could feel it again. Mercy to the Holy Creator, he couldn't get rid of this pest! Growling, he turned back to the glowing body of the motionless child behind him, and placed a hand on her cool forehead.

It had been twenty minutes since he had put her in this state, and there were still forty left to go. She needed one hour to complete his treatment. One hour, and no more than that.

His hand lowered slightly, until it was touching her cheek. A small smile spread across his face. How intriguing she was. How unique she still remained, even after six years. He could sense the energy within her, energy that had grown marvelously since he had last seen her. However, he could also feel something unsettling inside her mind, and that was what he had to suppress, just like he had done last time.

The problem however, was figuring out how to suppress it without curving her spiritual potential too much…or too little.

"My dearest one," he whispered. "You must have gone through so much alone. I'm afraid that there's more to come, and you still must go through them alone. I can't help you, other than this. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry…" He lowered his forehead until it was pressed against hers. "Oh gods…I'm so sorry, Dove…"

"What are you doing to that girl?"

Ke looked up, and found himself staring into the angry eyes of a very tall, very menacing looking green man who was dressed in a black-and-white gi. The sixteen-year-old's jaw dropped, and his eyes widened from behind his unnaturally long bangs.

"You?" He stared at the green man, his head cocking every so slightly to the left. "You've been following us! You…"

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

Sachiko ran up to a very short bald man, who was currently sparring with a man with several scars on his face, and another bald man who had three eyes. "Krillin-san!" she yelled at the top of her lungs. "Yamcha! Tien! Say something to me! Tell me that you can see me! Eeep!"

The small girl yelped and held her arms out in front of her face as Yamcha sailed right through her body, preparing to throw a punch at Tien. She watched as Tien blocked the punch and grabbed Yamcha's arm in a vice grip. In one motion, Tien threw Yamcha at Krillen, who dodged the flying body and released several ki blasts at Tien…

This was getting her nowhere. Sighing, Sachiko turned and walked away from the fighting trio, hanging her head in despair.

What to do? She couldn't talk to anyone, couldn't be seen by anyone. She couldn't get any help. For a while, she had entertained the notion that this was a very, very strange dream. However, if this was a dream, she sure as heck couldn't wake up. She didn't feel any pain whatsoever, so she didn't know how to jolt herself back to the land of consciousness.

Her stomach—or rather, her ghost stomach—growled.

"I can still get hungry?" Sachiko groaned in disbelief. "That's just plain mean…"

_Whiff, whiff._

What was that smell?

_Whiff, whiff._

There it was again! Sachiko lifted her head and cautiously sniffed the air. She inhaled, and her eyes grew wide as driblets of drool began to trickle out of the corners of her mouth. _Oh lordy-lord…_

"Pork buns," she whispered. As if they had a mind of their own, her feet began to move towards the source of the scent, her brain completely numbed by the images of juicy, fat pieces of meat wrapped inside a hot, steaming layer of white bread. She walked, almost zombie-like, towards the smell, until she saw Goku, Pan and Uub sitting under the shade of a giant oak tree…with a HUGE plate of pork puns set before them, along with other servings of delicious edibles spread wonderfully on a red-and-white picnic blanket…

"Food!" she squealed, and dived towards the plate of buns, mouth opened wide, half expecting a barrage of food to pummel her mouth. She could almost taste it…almost…

…No. Her entire body ended up sliding _through_ the plate, _through _the food…leaving her ghost body in a tangled, disgraceful heap on the other side of the picnic spread.

This. Was. Really. Not. Good.

"Oh…" Sachiko moaned, eying the food longingly. "It's not fair…"

Suddenly, Goku looked up and turned his head towards her, his eyes gazing directly into hers. Sachiko blinked and immediately sat upright, straightening out her ghost clothing. Did he hear her? Could he see her?

"Pan, did you hear something?" Goku asked, still staring directly at Sachiko. "I could have sworn I heard a voice…"

"I didn't hear anything," Pan said, chewing on a pork bun.

"Goku-san!" Sachiko yelled, crawling towards her most beloved ancestor. "Goku-san! It's me, Sachiko! Please, tell me if you can hear me!" She waved her arms in front of Goku's face, and felt a glimmer of hope when she saw him twist his head around.

"There it is again!" Goku cried. "I hear _something_…"

"It's probably just the wind, Goku," Uub said, glancing at the older Saiyajin worriedly. "Maybe you should go rest after lunch…"

Sachiko cried out in despair as Goku slowly nodded. "Yeah…maybe I should lie down. I've been feeling really weird lately." The small girl shrieked, and pounded the ground in frustration.

"You and everyone else," Uub muttered. "It's like some kind of epidemic, except no one's physically sick. Have you been feeling like your ki is getting…I dunno…weaker that usual or something, Goku?"

Goku nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah! Even people from the other quadrants are feeling really weird. Pikkon hasn't been able to meditate properly at all lately. And you know, King Kai's been really under the weather, more than anyone else!"

"What do you mean?" Sachiko and Pan asked at the same time, though it was clear that only Pan could be heard.

"Well, I've been asking him forever to check up on Sachi-chan, but for the last couple of weeks, all he's telling me is no." Goku screwed up his face, and said in a very nasal voice, "'No, Goku! I'm very sick! I—achoo! I can't keep checking up on Sachiko every ten minutes, just because—achoo! Just because you think she has all this great potential!'" Goku unscrewed his face, and pouted.

Sachiko on the other hand, wasn't pouting at all. In fact, her mouth was wide open from shock. "Goku-san!" she cried. "You've been spying on me? That's not very nice!" She gave him a reprimanding look as his gaze again turned towards her, and scowled when she realized he still couldn't see her.

"Huh." Uub rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "I didn't think a Kai could get sick…"

"Wait a minute," Pan said. "What about the televisions in HFIL? Are they still broken?"

Goku nodded dejectedly. "Yeah. This is really bad. I need to see how Sachi's doing. The last time I checked up on her, Sachi-chan was going into some village in the south…the one that worships the god Susan, or something. That was ages ago!"

Pan blinked at her grandfather, before she very cautiously asked, "Do you mean the god Susanoo, Grandpa?"

"Huh?" Goku stared at Pan cluelessly. "Who's that?"

"…That's the god you were talking about."

More cluelessness. "What god?"

"…The god of the village."

Even more cluelessness. "What village?"

"…The one Sachiko was going into."

Finally, recognition. "Oh yeah! Oh, man, I really miss Sachi. You know, the last time I checked up on her, she was going into some village in the south…the one that worships the god Susan, or something. That was ages ago!"

Pan slapped a hand to her forehead. "Oh _Grandpa_…"

"You know, King Kai _does_ have a point," Uub said slowly. "I mean, I know you think she's amazing because she's showing signs of Saiyajin blood again, but…well, have you ever considered that something might be wrong with her?"

Sachiko tilted her head to the side.

"What do you mean?" Goku asked curiously.

"I mean…well…" Uub fumbled with his words. "During the time that she's spent with us, she showed _some_ signs of the Saiyajin heritage, but…well…I dunno. Something seemed off. When she was training, her power level increase seemed to bounce here and there, instead of climbing steadily. Also, she always had big trouble focusing. I find it…worrisome."

"Uub! Not this again!" Pan yelled. She grabbed a smoked sausage and stuffed the meat into his mouth, causing him to choke slightly before he managed to chew silently. "You and my dad," Pan growled. "You two are exactly the same! Now listen. Sachiko's been covering for that boy Jiro for almost a month. She was worried for him, and had to deal with the fact that she was lying to us for god-knows-how-long. Plus, she's only ten-years-old. Would you act normal under those circumstances? Would you be able to focus under those circumstances?"

"Yeah," Uub said without a hint of shame.

"…"

"OW! Let go of my face, Pan!"

Goku sweatdropped as Pan grabbed both of Uub's cheeks, and _pulled_ with all her might. Scratching the back of his head, he sat up and quickly rose to his feet. "Well…I'm going to check up on King Kai. Maybe he's feeling better."

"OW! OW, OW, OW!"

"Right then."

Sachiko watched as Goku began to walk away from the bickering duo. She paused for a moment, before she stood up and followed him. As the only person who could somewhat hear her, Goku-san was her only chance of figuring out what was going on with her body—or lack of one.

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

Kargo, Jiro, and Hideaki sat nervously on the velvet seats of the limousine, watching the woman sitting across from them with a wary eye. They all had questions, each one more unbelievable than the last…but they couldn't find the will to say even one word.

The woman before them just radiated so much…tension.

"I dislike taking time off from work," Kikai Ichihatsu said suddenly. "That being the case, I'm going to drop you off at a…associate's. He should know what to do with you three." Kikai paused for a moment, before she turned to Hideaki. "For _you_, I would suggest wearing very, very baggy clothing."

"Eh?" Hideaki tilted her head, but didn't ask for an explanation.

"Wait! We still haven't found Sachiko yet!" Kargo cried. "She's still out there somewhere! We have to go look for her!"

"There are more of you?" Kikai groaned, her tone obviously displeased. Still, she turned on the intercom to the driver's seat, and barked, "Toyo."

"Yes ma'am?"

"Take us to the center of the city. We're missing a passenger."

"Uh…okay, ma'am."

Kikai turned off the intercom, and rubbed her temples. "This is risky. We need to get in and out of the city without the police hounding us. You think you can find your friend and get us out in one piece? And preferably without lawsuits?"

"Um…" The Namek wasn't quite sure how to answer that.

An uncomfortable silence fell between the four. For a while, no one said a word as they succumbed to their personal thoughts. After a few tense minutes, Kikai finally broke the ice. "There's no doubt in my mind that you're Bulma's descendant," Kikai said emotionlessly, staring at Hideaki. She glanced at Jiro, and her lips thinned. "And since you're her brother, that would make _you_…ew." She shuddered, ignoring the stunned (and in Jiro's case, _insulted_) looks of the three youths. She turned to Kargo, and gave him a small smirk. "And you. You must be Dende's, right?"

"Uh…" Again, Kargo didn't know what to say. This woman knew a lot more than he thought she did…

"Kargo?" Hideaki whispered. "Who's Bulma?"

"I'll tell you later…"

From the car's mini-bar, Kikai poured herself a small glass of bourbon. Dropping three ice cubes into the drink, she swirled the cup for a second or two before she took a long sip. When she finished, she let out a small sigh. "I don't know what you three are doing," she said finally. "And frankly, I really don't want to know. I've left my past behind me. I can't keep dwelling on it." Her grip tightened on the glass. "I don't _want _to."

The Namek raised a brow. "Who are you?" he finally asked. "Bulma, Dende…you seem to know people who existed six hundred years ago. People who are dead. Are you some historian in addition to a businesswoman?"

Kikai snorted, and downed the last of her bourbon. "You're one to talk," she finally said, setting down her cup. "I should be asking you how _you_ know all these people from the past. Hell, _I_ should be putting _you_ through an interrogation. What do you think you're doing, showing your little Namekian body in public? Not many people take kindly to aliens nowadays."

"H-how do you know I'm a Namek?" Kargo gasped.

Again, Kikai snorted.

Well, this was getting him nowhere. Kargo growled, and furiously pulled out Dende's journal, holding it in front of Kikai's face. The woman stared at the leather bound book, and blinked. "What's that?" she asked.

"This is the reason why I'm out here," Kargo said quietly. "This is the journal of my ancestor, Dende. This is how I know about Goku, about Vegeta." Kargo paused for a moment, before he said cautiously, "This is why I've recreated the dragonballs."

Wow. He never knew a woman's eyes could get so wide from shock.

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

"If you must address me," the green man said irritably, "please call me Piccolo. I won't accept, 'You!'" He pushed through the shrubs, and glared at Ke. "I don't know what you're doing to this child, but it ends now. Stop whatever it is you're doing to her, and give her to me." He took a step towards Sachiko.

Ke sprang to his feet and blocked Piccolo's path. The green man blinked at him, as if surprised, and Ke took his chance. "You stay away from her," he whispered. "This girl isn't your child. You have no right to claim her like this."

Piccolo raised a brow. "Excuse me? I've known this poor baby since her birth. And you? I doubt you've even known her for an hour for so."

"Pfft." Ke snorted, and crossed his arms over his chest. "Is that what you think, Mister Piccolo? That just proves to me that you're still a grumpy old sourpuss, just like Sachiko told me."

"_Excuse me_?" Piccolo's eye twitched, and a muscle began to work furiously in his jaw. "Who do you think you are?"

Ke felt the courage to grin. "Shouldn't you be looking for your son?" he drawled, turning back to Sachiko. His hands glowed, and he pressed his fingertips against the small girl's temples. "Go worry about your own kid. Go look for…what's his name…Kargo? Yeah. Go look for Kargo."

Twitch, twitch, went Piccolo's eye. "I was expecting my idiotic son to be with Sachiko. I didn't think she's be here, all alone, with a perfect stranger."

"You say _stranger_, I say _secret friend_."

A growl escaped Piccolo's lips. Before Ke knew what was happening, his arm was grabbed by the alien being, and he was hoisted to his feet. "For the love of the gods!" Piccolo shouted into his face. "What are you doing to her? Leave Sachiko alone!"

Ke's courage faded, and was replaced by irritable anger. "I can't!"

"Why NOT? I demand that you awaken her at once!"

Ke yanked his arm out of Piccolo's grasp, and scowled unpleasantly. "I can't awaken her yet, you fool! This is a very delicate procedure! If I awaken her before the process is complete, or if I awaken her too late, her spirit will…" He trailed off.

"Her spirit will _what_?" Piccolo demanded. His eyes darted to the glowing body of the small child, before boring intensely into Ke's. "Answer me! "What have you _done_ to her?"

Ke closed his eyes, and turned away. "I'm trying to help her. However, this is a dangerous form of cleansing, performed only by experts. If I mess this up, or if anything happens to her body here, her physical form will die, and her spirit will be trapped forever in limbo."

Piccolo's eyes widened in shock, and he threw a terrified look at Sachiko's body. "Oh my gods…"

"Don't worry!" Ke said hurriedly. "I know exactly what I'm doing. As long as nothing disturbs this process, Sachiko will be absolutely fine."

A low chuckle suddenly cut through the conversation. Ke and Piccolo turned, and froze when they saw a young man come towards them, a man with brown hair who wearing a black trenchcoat over his shoulders. The man smirked as he approached the shrubs, and both Ke and Piccolo paled when they realized that several people were behind this man, people who were oddly dressed in police uniforms, all holding peculiar blasters in their hands.

"It seems that Dr. Rei was right," the young man said smoothly to the officers. "She told me that I'd find the girl here. I guess I owe Tsu five zenni…" The young man then turned and gave Ke and Piccolo a smile. "Now, let's not make a fuss in the middle of a nice, tranquil park. Hand over the child."

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

**Sachiko: Next time, the others try to find me while not getting arrested by the police! As for me, I've finally found a way to get someone to hear me, but there's trouble with my body back on earth! Uh-oh…why am I having trouble breathing in Otherworld?**

**Jiro: This chapter…sucks. Compared to the last one, this chapter really…sucks.**

**Kargo: Be a little more positive, rich boy.**

**Sachiko: (Jumps up and down on chair) Ooh! Ooh! Tell the readers our surprise, Kargo! Tell them, tell them, tell them!**

**Kargo: Right! Now, we have a special visitor for the "Wind Down" of the chapter. I personally think she's creepy, but what the hey? Introducing the very scary lady who married the midget bald guy, Android Eighteen!**

**Eighteen: (Walks into the "Wind Down" room) Watch who you're calling creepy, kid. The author of this chapter may own this story, but she doesn't own _me_…allowing me to do _whatever_ I want to you.**

**Kargo: …**

**Random Audience Male: Android Eighteen! Have my babies!**

**Sachiko: (Grins) So, Kikai-san! How do you like the way our author wrote you? **

**Eighteen: (Snorts) There's always room for improvement. But honestly, there are few fanfictions that are really, really centered on me, so I can't say much, can I? But the readers should know.**

**Jiro: You heard the bionic bitch! Read and review!**

**Sachiko: (Glances nervously at Eighteen) Uh-oh…**

**Eighteen: …Sachiko.**

**Sachiko: (Still nervous) Y-yes, Kikai-san?**

**Eighteen: …Remind me to kill the little Vegeta-clone when I have the time.**

**Sachiko: Eeep.**

**Jiro: (Twitches) I AM NOT VEGETA'S DESCENDANT! Just because we act alike, and look somewhat alike, and maybe even treat Goku and Sachiko in similar manners, DOES NOT MEAN WE'RE RELATED!**

**Kargo: …You know, what you said kinda contradicts itself…  
**

**Jiro: Shut your mouth, freak!**

**Eighteen: Hmph. Whatever. Have you read the script?**

**Jiro: (Gawks) Huh? There's a script?**

**Eighteen: (Smirks) Yeah. I know everything that's going to happen…including the conclusion of the triangle between the three of you shrimps.**

**Sachiko: Huh? What triangle? I don't see any geometrical shape in between us…**

**Kargo: (Glowing red) Agggh! There's no triangle! You're crazy, Eighteen! CRAZY!**

**Eighteen: Hn. See for yourself. (Tosses script)**

**Kargo & Jiro: (Picks up script, and reads.) …Oh my god. Oh my god. OH MY GOD!**


	35. Consolation Prize

Jiro: (Dressed as the Mad Hatter from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland) TURMOIL owns nothing. She's a poor college student.

Sachiko: (Dressed as Alice) Happy Holly-ween, everybody! We're here with the thirty-fifth chapter…and to celebrate the only holiday where people give out free sugary goodies! HOO-RAY!

Jiro: (Checks oversized pocket watch) We're a few days early, you know. Halloween isn't until Tuesday.

Sachiko: Yeah…but TURMOIL-san is still busy, so she told us to start whenever we wanted to. (Grins) So I wanna start right now! Bring out the Sweetie-Pops and Snacky-Cakes!

Jiro: Hmph. You get so excitable. I can buy you sugary goodies anytime of the year. I'm freakin' RICH, remember?

Sachiko: (Twiddles thumbs) Yeeeeeah…I know. But! You don't get to wear _costumes_ everyday, do you? How often do you get to dress up as characters from Wonderland? Oh…speaking of which…(Looks around) Kargo-kun? Where are you? We need the last member of Alice's Tea Party!

Kargo: (Hides in dressing room) I'm NOT coming out!

Sachiko: Oh, come on, Kargo! You look so cute!

Jiro: (Raises brow) Cute?

Kargo: Forget it! I'm staying right here! Nothing in the world can make me come out and humiliate myself in from of the entire blasted fanfiction universe!

Sachiko: Hm. (Thinks, then grins) If you come out Kargo-kun, I'll give you a peck on the cheek!

Jiro: (Enraged) _WHAT WHAT WHAT_?

Kargo: …Really?

Sachiko: Really, really! (grin)

Kargo:)

Jiro: (Completely put out)&&#!

Censor Person: Due to the nature of this one's language, I have taken liberties to censor the word above. Thank you.

Jiro: F&# you, Censor Nut! (Realizes he is censored again) Goddamn it!

Sachiko: Kargo! You want the peck or not?

Kargo: (Happy beyond belief) YES! YES I DO! (Flies out of dressing room, revealing that he is dressed in a bunny rabbit suit, a.k.a. the March Hare) Okay! I'm out! Give it to me, Sachi-chan:)

Sachiko: 'Kay! (Holds up chicken near Kargo's face) Here's your chicken peck! Just stick out your cheek a little, Kargo!

Kargo: …

Jiro: …Who _didn't _see that one coming?

**_Chapter Thirty-Five_**: **_Consolation Prize_**

Despite it being a beautiful day, South City Park was surprisingly empty. No children played on the swings, no couples were on a daily stroll. The only beings that showed signs of movement were a small gray squirrel that had dark, red blotches all over its coat…and the men and girl that were crowded around several shrubs.

Piccolo narrowed his eyes as he stared at the man who was apparently the leader of the police officers. Though it had been a long while since he had last seen him, there was no mistake—this was the idiot who had been after Sachiko and Kargo back at that town, Crystal Caves. Looking quickly at the policemen he realized, with a stab of horror, that in each of the officers' hands were the devastatingly familiar blasters.

_Oh my gods._

"What do you want with this child?" Piccolo hissed, stepping in front of Sachiko and the strange teenaged boy. "Who are you, and why the hell are you after her and my son?"

The man in the black trenchcoat blinked for a moment, before he gave Piccolo a grin. "Your son, eh? I knew from the moment I saw you that you were related to that punk. Not many people can pull off the green look the way you two can. Ryoushi Ganjou, by the way. Fully licensed bounty hunter, etcetera, etcetera." The young man gave him a mock bow, the grin still on his face.

Piccolo growled.

"So tell me—" Ryoushi gave him a toothy smile "—has the kid recovered from his injuries? Or is he still limping around? Tell me. I'm curious."

"You—you _hurt_ him?" The Namek's face darkened with rage. "How…dare you! No one has the right to injure my son without my permission, no matter how much of a fool that boy is!"

"In that case," Ryoushi said snidely, "you should have kept a better eye on him. He's already dug himself into a fine hole, I can tell you that…HEY!" The bounty hunter's head suddenly snapped towards Ke, who was trying to sneak off with Sachiko in his arms. "Where the hell do you think you're going, you little punk? Stay right there and put the girl down!"

Ke froze in his tracks, and turned his hair covered head towards Ryoushi. "This child is undergoing a very dangerous procedure right now," the sixteen-year-old whispered, his arms tightening protectively around the small girl's body. His hand, which was holding a painted water canteen, was shaking slightly. "Please, I have to get this done, or else she will _die_."

That last word seemed to stop the bounty hunter in his tracks. Ryoushi blinked, before he stared at the cold, glowing body of the young girl. "Die? What the hell are you talking about? She can't _die_…Tsu and Dr. Rei want her alive!"

"It's complicated!" Ke yelled, his grip tightening even more on Sachiko. "Please, just let us go, and—" He stopped when Ryoushi raised a hand, and the officers all cocked their blasters. Piccolo stepped in front of him, shielding him and Sachiko with gritted teeth.

Oh…boy. This wasn't good at all.

"Wake her up," Ryoushi growled. "Wake her up now, and I'll spare you and the green one."

"I…" Ke's voice trembled. "I…I can't. Her healing isn't finished…"

"I don't care," Ryoushi said coldly. Behind him, a small gray squirrel scurried towards a black-haired, blue-eyed officer who was a bit preoccupied with picking his nose. "This brat has caused me a lot of trouble for the last few months. An unhealed injury or two won't kill her."

"Please! You don't understand!"

"Shut up! Wake her up or so help me—"

"!"

Piccolo, Ke, Ryoushi, and the other officers turned towards the black-haired, blue-eyed policeman, who was running around screaming as he tried to yank off a squirrel that was latched onto his face. "GET IT OFF ME!" he shrieked. "FOR THE LOVE OF MONKEY-BALLS, GET IT OFF ME! IT'S CHEWING AT MY _EYEBALLS_!"

"What are you waiting for?" Ryoushi cried to the other officers, his eyes wide with shock at the scene before him. "Help him, you idiots! Before he loses his other eye! Oh wait…never mind."

"OH _GOD_! THE _PAIN_!"

The Namek made a face of morbid disgust, before he turned to the stunned boy behind him. "Run!" Piccolo hissed. Ke stared at him with wide eyes, and Piccolo gave the young teen a frustrated look. "What are you waiting for? I'll distract them, so _go_!" Then before anyone could blink, Piccolo leapt into the air and fired a barrage of ki blasts at the officers.

Taken by surprise, many of the young men abandoned their ailing comrade and began to fire wildly into the air, their blasts hitting everything _but_ the attacking Namek. In the panic, everyone forgot about Ke, who took the opportunity to bolt towards the park exit.

"HEY!" Ryoushi roared, spying the young teen trying to escape. He ran after them, half preparing an energy blast in his hand, only to be tackled hard from behind. He twisted his head, glaring at the one who dared to stop him…only to sweatdrop when he saw that it was the black-haired, blue…well, black-haired officer.

"MY EYES!" the officer wailed, "MY EYES! THEY BURN WITH PAIN!"

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

It was _hopeless_. Sachiko hung her head in despair as she followed Goku to…wherever it was he was headed off to.

She just couldn't believe this. Absolutely nothing had gotten his attention. Shouting, screaming, yelling, crying…none of these things had worked. The most it did was cause Goku to look around wildly and become very, very spooked. It was either that, or he would wiggle his pinkie inside his ear and shake his head like a dog, as if he was trying to shake off the little ghost who was shadowing his every movement.

She groaned as she followed her ancestor into a building. Again, it was _hopeless_. She was going to be stuck as a ghost-child forever, and ever, and ever, and ever, and—

_Whoosh_.

The small girl gasped as hot steam suddenly rushed past her intangible form, Blinking, she looked around curiously, trying to see through the foggy steam where she was…before she yelped and covered her eyes in embarrassment.

Towering whitewashed walls…warm wooden floors…hangers that had endless amounts of white robes and towels…a large collection of hot springs and baths…men everywhere…Oh sweet mother of Amaterasu! She was in the men's bathhouse! She, a miko nowhere near the age of marriage, was in a bathhouse where men bathed, and were absolutely, positively, one-hundred-percent…

"Nakie, nakie, nakie, nakie, nakie!" she squealed, trying with all her might not to peek through her fingers. She had never seen a naked male before, with the exception of Kargo. When they had been babies, her Okaasan told her that she and Kargo often took baths together in the lookout…but that didn't count! She remembered nothing of Kargo's body anatomy, even though she noticed that he was getting quite muscular and tall…

Worst of all, her grandfather had repeatedly told her to never, _ever_ purposefully look at a nude man-slash-boy until she was a head priestess ready for marriage. Doing so beforehand would cause her to commit a sin of—she gulped nervously—_impurity_.

Ack! Impurity was absolutely out of the question! She must not look! Oh, where was the exit?

She heard a rustle of clothing in front of her. Before she could stop herself, she peeked through her fingers and caught a glimpse of Goku's naked, muscle-bound backside before she shut her eyes hurriedly. A loud splash was heard a second later, followed by a sated, "Aaaaaah! Now _that_ feels a lot better!"

Sachiko finally lowered her hands, and breathed a sigh of relief when she saw her ancestor standing chest deep in the hot, murky mineral water. Her own curiosity overwhelming her, she sat near the bath's edge, and dipped her ghost feet into the cloudy water. She waited for a moment, before she pouted in disappointment. She still couldn't feel anything.

"Goku," a deep voice rumbled from the side, "if you _must_ bathe in here, I would appreciate it if you kept the noise level down."

Who was that? Sachiko looked up, squinting hard through the heavy clouds of steam, before she spotted a silhouette of a man sitting on one of the rocks placed in the middle of the bath. She squinted harder, before she let out a small squeak, her eyes widening in surprise.

Sitting cross-legged on that rock, with nothing but a mere white towel draped across his lap, was…

"Sorry Pikkon," Goku said, scratching the back of his soaking wet head embarrassedly. "I didn't know you were in here. What'cha doing?"

Pikkon, who had his eyes closed, merely frowned and shifted his body to the right. Goku blinked for a moment, before he gave the green warrior a frown.

"Well, you don't have to give me the silent treatment," the Saiyajin complained. "You could have just said, 'I'd like to be alone now,' or something. Just brush me off, why don't you?"

"Forgive him," a soft voice said quietly. "He's been a bit upset that he hasn't been able to meditate properly. He's trying to do it here, but it's not going well. I can't do it either, these days…"

Sachiko turned her head, and positively shrieked when she saw a young, tanned, muscular boy rise out of the depth of the bath. Water dripped off of his black goggles, which were completely covering his eyes, and off of his long white hair, which was tied back into an elegant ponytail. She covered her eyes quickly before the boy-warrior rose all the way out of the water—she was _positive _that unlike Pikkon-san, Reficul was _not_ wearing a towel!

Where _was_ that darn exit?

"Aw man," she heard Goku groan. "You can't meditate either? This is getting really strange."

She heard Refi chuckle, before he said, "Maybe this is some new form of training by the Kais? Maybe they want to see which warrior can still use their ki when feeling blocked."

"Huh. I dunno. King Kai's been feeling sick lately. I doubt he would have done it…"

"Maybe it's South Kai or East Kai. Maybe it's one of their schemes gone horribly wrong…"

"I don't think the East Kai would do it. She's already banned from entering Otherworld Tournaments for the next five hundred years! But I'll ask the Grand Kai to check up on that…"

An aggravated growl rumbled from the rock. "Would you two _please_?"

Two embarrassed laughs. "Sorry, Pikkon…"

She heard a quiet splash, and a sigh from the dark-skinned boy. She opened her eyes, and saw that Refi was now sitting next to Goku…and on her. He was sitting in such a way that her legs were going right _through_ his body…creating a very awkward looking pose between them.

Oh…boy.

"EEEEEEEEEEK!" Sachiko shrieked, and tried to scramble away, only to end up toppling into the hot bath. She gasped in shock under the water, and immediately discovered two things: 1) She could breathe underwater easily and 2) the murkiness of the water was _thankfully_ blocking the view of anything that could cause her to sin with her eyes. She swam up, and floated on her back, silently wishing she could feel the heat of the bath.

"Did you hear that?" Goku said, looking around the bathhouse. "I could have _sworn_ I heard something…it kinda sounded like a little bird chirping…"

Great. Now she was a chirping bird.

"No," Refi answered, though he was staring directly at the spot where she was floating. "I didn't hear a thing…"

Sachiko sighed. Being a ghost was terrible. Once she figured out a way of getting her physical form back, she would have much more pity for ghosts from now on!

She floated by the rock Pikkon was sitting on. Knowing that they couldn't hear her or see her, Sachiko decided to take some liberties with her current situation, and climbed onto the rock until she was sitting right beside her old teacher. Making sure not to peek at his near naked body, she stared at his face for a moment, her lips pursed slightly as her eyes took in every foreign detail.

She had never taken the time to really look at Pikkon-san the last time she was here. Sure, she _looked_ at him, but she never really had the chance to _look_ at him. Her eyes followed the angles of his face, taking note of the small details here and there. They traveled up to his pink mouth, the noseless center of his face, and finally, his hairless brow, which was furrowed from his strained efforts at attempted meditation. Sachiko stifled a giggle—her sensei looked amazingly like Kargo whenever he was forced by Piccolo-san to study.

"You have a very in-tah-rest-ting face, Pikkon-san," Sachiko said as she tilted her head to the side. "It'll be fun to try to draw you now! I tried to draw the fight between you and Goku-san. I got Goku-san, but I couldn't remember exactly what your face looked like…" She stopped when the green warrior's eyes shot open, and froze when his red eyes bore directly into her own gold ones. She felt nervous, even though she had no real reason to be. It was obvious by now that he couldn't see her, but still. It was as if he knew she was there…

"Sachiko?" Pikkon whispered, and her jaw dropped. Did he see her? Did he hear her? The small girl waved a hand directly in front of his face, but got no response. Instead, the green alien merely sighed, and shut his eyes again. "Must have been my imagination," he muttered, before he went back to trying to meditate.

Fudgecrackers. She should have known. Moaning, she hung her head and mumbled, "Oh well. It's not like I really expected that to work…" She looked up at Pikkon and gave him a weak smile. "It's not your fault, Pikkon-san. There's just something wrong with me." Moaning again, she scooted closer and attempted to rest her head against her old teacher's side.

Oh, so what if she couldn't feel anything? It was the gesture itself that she really needed! She shut her eyes, and tried not to have her head accidentally pass through the dead warrior's body.

That's when it happened.

The minute her ghost head touched Pikkon's side, a strange feeling ran up her body. Unlike before, the sensation wasn't cold. Now…now it was oddly _warm_…she felt her feet touch solid ground, instead of water, and her eyes shot open.

She was at a lake. Sachiko stared around for a bit, before she rubbed her eyes hard, and looked up again, only to have her jaw hit the ground.

Before her was not the white, steamy room of the bathhouse. It was just a large, crystal clear lake, set in an area thick with trees...an area that eerily reminded her of her own forest home.

"Sachiko?"

The small girl jumped, and whirled around to meet the startled gaze of Pikkon. She blinked, before she rubbed the back of her head nervously and gave the green warrior a sheepish smile. "Hullo," she greeted shyly. "Um…I can explain why I'm here, but you have to promise not to get shocked, okay?"

"W-what are you doing here?" Pikkon stammered. "This…I've never seen you in my meditative thoughts before. What are you doing in my memories of my home planet?"

"This is your home planet?" Sachiko looked around again with awe. "Oh wow…the atmosphere is so clean and clear here! It's like Earth!"

"This…this isn't right…my meditation is still off…" Pikkon shook his head backed away. "No…something's still wrong…"

"Wait! Pikkon-san, don't go! I haven't explained why I'm here yet!" Sachiko tried to grab him, but that warm sensation left her body, and in seconds, she found herself back at the bathhouse, sliding off the rock as Pikkon waded through the water, looking very disturbed.

"Hey Pikkon, you okay?" Goku asked worriedly as the Western fighter hurriedly stepped out of the bath naked. (Sachiko quickly covered her eyes at the sight.) "You look like you've seen a ghost."

"I've just had a disturbing meditation," Pikkon muttered, walking straight past the locker rooms. "I need to clear my head…"

"Wait!" Reficul yelled, his jaw dropping slightly, "You were able to meditate? How?"

"Um, shouldn't you get dressed?" Goku asked, cocking his head slightly.

Pikkon didn't answer. Still completely naked, he went straight past the stunned receptionist, past the other fighters coming in to take a bath ("Fight the _Man_, man!" a hippie cried, giving the green being a peace sign.), and pushed through the doors of the exit.

Sachiko, Goku, and Refi all stared after him in stunned silence.

"I really think he should get dressed," Goku said finally.

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

"You recreated the dragonballs," Kikai muttered, her hand pressed against her forehead. "I can't say for sure whether that's good or bad, but…oh gods." She looked up and gave the trio a hard stare. "What were you three thinking?"

"It was for the villages!" Kargo cried, backing away slightly from Kikai's accusing gaze. "Sachi-chan was on the verge of becoming insane…I couldn't just sit there while she suffered!"

Kikai sighed, and shook her head. "For a Namek, you're being way too overemotional. I understand that you care for Goku's descendant—"

"Her name is Sachiko," Jiro interrupted.

"Sachiko. Whatever." Kikai waved Jiro off, before she continued. "Anyway, you can't just make rash decisions like that without measuring the consequences of your actions, kid. It's been centuries since the dragonballs were last used, and people aren't exactly morons anymore."

"W-what do you mean?" Kargo asked.

"What I mean is this. Six hundred years ago, when gigantic amounts of people were being brought back from the dead, nobody really questioned it, because they were all—and I use this term _heavily_—idiots. Morons. Babies who couldn't feed themselves even if their life depended on it."

Hideaki gawked, not quite ready to believe such a statement. Kargo didn't seem to believe it either, and stared at the woman with wide eyes. "How the hell do you _know_ all this?" he asked. "Seriously! _How_?"

The woman sighed, and leaned her head back against the seat. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

"Naw, we probably would," Hideaki said, chuckling as she scratched her chin.

"Can we get back to the issue?" Kikai snapped, her voice laced with irritation. "Anyway… my point is that now, people are actually smart. People know about the village slaughters, and it's going to look very, very peculiar when the villagers all just suddenly pop back out of the blue after they've been reportedly _dead_ for a couple of months."

"We can wish that the people shouldn't question why the dead are coming back," Jiro countered. "I mean, according to the freak—" he jerked a thumb at Kargo, who flipped him off in response "—there are three wishes on the balls. They can use two for the feudal people, and I can use the last one for myself."

This statement caused many to raise a brow, especially Kargo. "What're you talking about, rich boy?" the Namek asked suspiciously. "What the heck are you gonna use the last wish for?"

Jiro snorted, and leaned back against the velvet seat of the limousine. "That's for me to know, and you to find out _after_ I make my wish."

"Hold it, Jiro-kun!" Hideaki cut in, grabbing Jiro roughly by the ear. The teenaged boy shrieked with pain, but his sister didn't let go. "What do you mean, _you're_ going to use the last wish? _I_ want that last wish!"

"Oh boy," Kikai muttered, pouring herself another drink as Kargo stared open-mouthed at the Kutai siblings. "Here we go…"

"What the fuck are you talking about, bitch?" Jiro snapped, slapping his sister's hand away. "I don't recall you ever claiming a wish!"

"Remember back when we first met Sachiko and Kargo? I told them that I would make a Dragon Radar Vidwatch in exchange for a favor. Said favor, I decided, would be one wish on the dragonballs!"

Kikai took a sip of her drink and sighed. "Yup," she whispered to herself. "Those two are _exactly_ like Bulma and Vegeta…"

"Wait!" Kargo cried, his poor mind very, very confused. "Hideaki! I don't remember the favor being an actual _wish_!"

"I decided this a few chapters ago," Hideaki said, laughing nervously. "Anyway! That's my fee for my services! One wish!"

Jiro snorted. "In your dreams, bitch!"

"Don't call me a bitch, _little_ brother!"

"Why don't you make me, BITCH?"

"You little, self-absorbed, ungrateful—"

WHAM!

The limousine shook violently, and everyone screamed as they felt the car spin off the road. Kikai, her white blouse soaked with gin, growled as she reached for the intercom. "Toyo!" she barked. "What's going on?"

"W-we're being rammed, miss!" the driver cried through the intercom. "T-there are all these cars trying to hit us—holy shit!"

The car swerved sharply again, causing Kargo's face to hit the limousine's window with a _shmoosh_. "Ow…"

"Toyo!" Kikai yelled. "Who are the drivers?"

"T-they look like policemen! They're driving ordinary cars, but they look like police—oh son-of-a-bitch!"

Swerve, swerve. Smoosh.

"Ow…"

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

In the darkness of the alley, Ke panted as he hid behind a dumpster. Crouching low with his back pressed against the cold, dirty steel, the young man shut his eyes and tried not to breathe as he heard the sounds of heavy footsteps grow in volume, coming ever so close to his hiding spot. He froze completely when one came within mere feet of the dumpster.

_Please don't look here_, he prayed. _I'm powerless in this form. Please, give me some more time…_

The enemy moved. Ke waited as the footsteps faded away, before he released the breath he had been holding. He slid down to the ground, and clutched at the small child in his arms. "Oh gods," he murmured. "This is a nightmare…"

A small gray squirrel covered in wet red blotches slowly crawled onto Sachiko's body. It sniffed at her for a moment, before it curled around her neck, as if it was snuggling against the cold child. Ke didn't bother moving it away. It wasn't as if a squirrel would kill her, or anything.

He checked his watch, and gasped. There were only twenty minutes left, and he still hadn't finished. Growling, Ke laid Sachiko on the ground, and placed two glowing hands on her chest.

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

Sachiko gasped, feeling slightly out of breath.

Pikkon had seen her. Pikkon had spoken to her.

After he had come back to the bathhouse to fetch his clothing (and oh, how embarrassed the normally stoic man was…) Sachiko ran after Pikkon, desperate to try to catch him in meditation again.

This was it—the answer to her horrible predicament! Mediation allowed him to sense her, to speak to her, to _see _her! Goku could sort of, kind of hear her, but he didn't normally meditate. Oh, once she had Pikkon's attention, she could grab Goku's, and then they could all figure out a way to get her body back!

Pikkon stopped when he reached a large oak tree, and sat down under its cool shade. Sachiko plopped next to him a little less gracefully, and stared at the warrior impatiently as he took a meditative pose. His brow again furrowed from the effort, and his body became stiff.

"Come on, Pikkon-san," she muttered. "You've got to do it, or else I'm stuck like this!"

As if he heard her, his body slacked slightly. Sachiko smiled, and reached up to touch his shoulder. _Please work, please work, please work…_

Warmth spread through her body, and again, she found herself back at that lake. She looked around, and found the green warrior standing in front of her, with his back turned.

"Finally," he murmured. "I can focus again…"

"Pikkon-san!" Sachiko yelled, latching onto her teacher's leg from behind. Pikkon yelped, and twisted his head down to gaze into her pleading face. Sachiko saw the shock in his red eyes, and knew she had to talk fast. "Wait Pikkon-san! You have to help me! I know I'm intruding into your private thoughts, but I'm in really, really big trouble!"

"W-what?" His features becoming slightly calmer, Pikkon reached down and extracted her from his leg. "Sachiko, this is…what are you doing here? What's going on?"

"Um…I don't really know," Sachiko admitted, shuffling her feet nervously. "One minute, I'm with my old friend Ke, and the next minute, I'm here, in Otherworld…as a ghost."

"Ghost?" Pikkon gave her a confused look. "Sachiko, what are you talking about?"

"I've been next to you and Goku-san this whole time," Sachiko explained. "I was in the bathhouse! You know the whisperings you two heard? That was me!"

"That was _you_? Well that explains—WAIT!" Pikkon's eyes suddenly grew as wide as saucers. "You were in the _bathhouse_?"

"Um…" Sachiko blushed, before she quickly said, "That's not the problem right now! I need you to find Goku-san, so that we can find a way for me to not be a ghost anymore! It's no fun, and I'm getting really hungry!" To prove her point, her stomach let out a ferocious growl, one that made Pikkon sweatdrop.

"Oh gods. How did this happen?"

The small girl pursed her lips. "I dunno. But I can't stay like this forever! Pikkon-san, please say that you'll help me! No one else can see me or hear me! Goku-san can kinda hear me, but he doesn't normally meditate, so I can't contact him at all! Can you go get him, and tell him to meditate with you?"

Pikkon looked unsure. "Sachiko…"

"Please? Pretty please, Pikkon-san?"

"Oh, fine. But Sachiko, if you're a ghost…how the heck can I find you after speaking to Goku?"

Sachiko grinned, and cocked her head to the side cutely. "Oh, don't worry about that! Just sit down, meditate together, and you two will see me for sure!"

"...hmm..."

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

The limousine crashed hard against a fire hydrant, sending everyone save Kikai flying out of their seats.

"And that's why you wear a seatbelt," the woman said dully, shaking her head at the ruffled pile that was Hideaki, Jiro, and Kargo. Jiro glared at Kikai, before he pulled himself out of the heap roughly, knocking a semi-conscious Kargo over in the process.

"Come on," he yelled, dragging his disheveled sister to her feet. "We've got to get out of here before those assholes get their act together!"

"We don't even _have_ an act to get together," Kikai said, her voice still dull. Unbuckling her seatbelt, she look out of the car window, and let out a sigh as a figure ran away from the limo. "There goes Toyo…"

"Come on, freak!" Jiro yelled, kicking at a very sluggish Kargo as they crawled out of the limousine. "Get up! GET UP! We've got to go!"

Kikai stepped out of the mangled car, and groaned when she saw the officers approach them in the distance. "Where are they spawning from?" Kikai asked out loud. "I don't recall there being this many policemen before."

"Less talky, more walky!" Hideaki said, as she and Jiro dragged a still dazed Kargo away from the car.

"Who needs to walk?" Kikai asked. She stepped onto the middle of the street, staring lifelessly as a large black jeep screeched to a halt in front of her. Her facial expression didn't change in the slightest as the driver stuck his head out the window in shock and rage.

"You crazy bitch!" the man screamed. "What the hell do you think you're doing? You trying to get killed?"

"He has a point," Jiro observed. "That woman really _is_ a bitch…"

"I'm taking this vehicle," Kikai said quietly. She reached into the pockets of her skirt, and pulled out a large wad of 100 zenni bills. "I'll give you all this, if you give us your car and go away very, very quietly."

The man blinked, before he stared at the bills suspiciously. "This a prank or something?"

Kikai frowned. "You want the money or not?"

"…Okay." The man swiped the money out of Kikai's hand and bolted from the car as Kikai got into the driver's seat and slammed the door shut. "You coming or not?" she asked the stunned trio. Jiro frowned, and opened his mouth to protest when the officers suddenly closed in on them, blasters ready.

"Talk later!" Hideaki yelled, and shoved her brother into the jeep. She threw the half-conscious Kargo into the backseat, and jumped in the front with Kikai. "Floor it!" Hideaki yelled, and Kikai stepped on the accelerator just as the officers reached them. The jeep slammed over several of the men, making Hideaki and Jiro turn slightly green.

"They'll live," Kikai said carelessly, as she sped off.

"Ow…" Kargo rubbed his head, and sat up groggily. "Wha' happened?"

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

Ke sighed as he removed his hands from Sachiko's now freezing cold stomach. It was almost over. In just a few minutes, he could bring the child's spirit back, and her body would finally be controllable for her. He gathered the small girl into his arms, sending that strange squirrel scurrying under her white shirt, and gave her cold body a squeeze.

"Made the bonds too weak last time," he murmured. "Won't do _that_ again…"

"Damn right you won't."

Ke froze, and looked up to see the cold stare of Ryoushi. _Oh no…_

"Listen," the bounty hunter said. "I'm tired of this. I'm just following orders, for crying out loud! Just give me the damn girl and we can all move on with our goddamn _lives_…"

Ke shook his head as he rose, still holding Sachiko tightly. The bounty hunter sighed, and raised a hand that was now glowing a bright orange-red. "Fine," Ryoushi muttered, forming an energy ball in his hand. "Have it your way."

The blast went off. A young man's cry echoed through the alley as the sound of two bodies hitting the earth resonated through the air.

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

Sachiko gasped, and clutched at her chest. She suddenly found it difficult to breathe…but why was this so? She was a ghost now. She shouldn't have felt anything…

Oh great. Not feeling anything for so long was taking its toll on her.

"Pikkon! Come on! That's kinda silly, don't you think?"

Sachiko looked up, and saw Pikkon half-dragging Goku towards the old oak tree. Sachiko grinned, and willed away the strange feelings of pain in her chest as Pikkon, once under the tree's shade, forced Goku to sit the ground rather disgracefully as he himself took a seat. The saiyajin blinked, before he sat upright.

"Pikkon! You can't just drag me out of the bathhouse like that! Me and Refi were thinking about sparring before dinner, and—"

"Refi isn't that good a fighter," Pikkon said roughly, as if he was reaching the limits of his patience. "Also, this involves Sachiko, whom I'm sure you miss just as much as I do."

"Sachi-chan?" Goku looked at Pikkon with luminous eyes. "You've found a way to contact her? Well, how is she? Is she okay? Did she beat those meanies from the Susan village?"

Pikkon blinked, before he said, "Just meditate, Goku. Meditate, and you'll be able to see her. I _hope_," he added under his breath.

"What does meditating have to do with speaking to her?" Goku asked, confused.

"Just do it!"

Goku pouted, but he sat up straight, crossed his legs, and closed his eyes. Sachiko bit her lip as Goku struggled to focus, while Pikkon's body slackened slightly. When Goku seemed to be as meditative as he could be, Sachiko touched both Goku and Pikkon simultaneously, gasping when a wave of heat surged through her body. When she opened her eyes, she was surprised to find herself at a meadow this time, not a lake. She looked around, and saw several towering mountains in the distance as the wind blew flower petals all over the air. She laughed as she tried to catch one.

"Oh," she whispered. "This must be Goku-san's memory. It's so pretty…"

"Sachi-chan!"

Strong arms suddenly wrapped around her body in a tight embrace, and Sachiko found herself literally being squeezed to death as Goku-san hugged the daylights out of her. "Oh, Sachi!" he cried, as he smooshed her. "You don't know how much I was worried about you! I mean, King Kai wouldn't let me talk to you, and he's been sick so I couldn't even watch over you—it was really nerve wracking, you know? So how much power did you gain? Did you get anymore dragonballs? Did you—"

"EEP! Goku-san!" Sachiko cried, squirming in her ancestor's iron hold. "Leggo! You're gonna squish me into a marshmallow!"

"Hmm? Oh…sorry." Goku released her, and gave her a sheepish, apologetic smile as she tried to breathe air back into her lungs. "I guess I overdid it…"

"That's nothing new," a rough voice rumbled behind them. Sachiko and Goku turned, and saw the green warrior's face scrunch up in annoyance as he brushed off several flower petals off of his face. "Goku, you overdo _a lot_ of things. None purposefully, I admit, but you overdo them nonetheless…"

Goku laughed nervously, before he turned to Sachiko with a big, goofy grin. "Sachi-chan! What are you doing here? Why are you speaking to us through meditation?"

Pikkon slapped a hand to his forehead. "For crying out—GOKU! I told you _three_ times why you needed to meditate!"

"Well, I forgot," Goku said simply, causing the green warrior to groan.

"I-it's okay, Goku-san!" Sachiko said hurriedly, glancing nervously from Goku to Pikkon. The pain in her chest was getting stronger now, but she pushed it to the back of her mind. "I-it's just that…well, I was doing some healing with my friend, Ke—"

"Who's Ke?" Goku asked curiously.

"Hmm? Oh! Ke's a really old friend of mine. I haven't seen him in years…but anyway! He was trying to help me learn how to control my anger, and I think he put me to sleep or something…anyway, I'm stuck in Otherworld as a ghost, and I have no idea how to go home." She looked up at the bewildered Goku and the uncomfortable-looking Pikkon, and gave them a pleading look. "Can you help me?"

Silence.

"C-can you?" Sachiko repeated, getting somewhat nervous.

"Um…um…yeah…" Goku scratched the back of his head nervously, before he asked, "Um…how do you want us to help you?"

"WAH!" Sachiko facefaulted straight into the ground. She slowly peeled her face off of the grass, and moaned, "I thought you'd know! I want my body back!"

"But how can we get it back?" Pikkon asked. "It's not like we're shamans, or anything…that's why I asked you how you lost your body in the first place."

"Well," Sachiko groaned, sitting up, "I told you that Ke was trying to help me control my anger. He keeps telling me that I shouldn't try to keep all my anger in, that I should release it in some way…"

Goku cocked his head to the side. "You keep all your anger in?" he repeated. "That's not good, Sachi! Why would you do something like that?"

"That's not the point right now, Goku-san!" Sachiko cried, rubbing her chest. Breathing was becoming very difficult now..."Besides, what's the problem with that? I mean, so many people died between the Amaterasu and Susanoo villages…I have no right as a miko to get angry when people look up to me for strength!"

"Wait, wait, wait!" Goku interrupted. "When did _more_ people die?"

The small girl froze, before she cast a dark glance towards the ground. "Not very long ago," she whispered. "Those horrible men with their horrible blasters…they almost destroyed another village…" She stared at the ground hard, panting slightly, trying with all her might not to get upset.

Frowning, Pikkon gently placed a hand on Sachiko's head, causing her to look up. "Sachiko," he said quietly, "listen to me. You shouldn't emotionally trap yourself. Anger is dangerous, whether contained or released. The trick is to release that anger in a way that's beneficial to you."

Sachiko pursed her lips. "But Pikkon-san—"

"He's right," Goku agreed. "We wouldn't want you turning into a monster that has nothing but rage in her heart. That would be very creepy!"

With a sigh, the small girl crossed her arms. "I guess," she murmured, before she glanced up in annoyance. "But what about the problem with me having no body? I can't stay like this forever! I have to go back and—and—"

Suddenly, she keeled over to the ground, gasping as she clutched at her chest. Oh gods…she couldn't breathe…she couldn't breathe!

"Sachiko!" she heard both men cry, before she felt all the heat rush out of her body. Seconds later, she was back under the oak tree, still writhing, still in pain…She stared at her hands with gritted teeth, and saw that she looked less transparent…

Was she getting her body back?

"Sachi!" She felt Goku pick her up and turn her over. Her eyes blurred; she could barely see his face. She tried to talk, but felt her chest constrict the moment she tried. Instead, what came out of her mouth was a strangled cry. "Aa…aaaaah."

"Sachiko!"

"Sachi!"

Her body slowly phased in and out of solidity. She gasped feebly…

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

_No…NO!_

His back burnt and bleeding, Ke crawled towards Sachiko's body, which was slowly losing its glow. He had to complete the procedure _now_. If he didn't she would…would…

_NO!_

He reached for her forehead with a glowing hand. He couldn't let her end like this. He couldn't! He reached out slowly...just before his fingers touched her skin, a boot clamped down on his hand, and Ke shrieked with pain.

"You should have just listened to me," Ryoushi muttered. "Then you wouldn't have to die." His boot pressed harder against Ke's hand, and the teenaged boy let out a cry as his hand twisted out of shape with a sharp _crack_. "You should have listened, you stupid boy! I had orders to eliminate those in my way. I didn't want to do it. Why'd you have to be so fucking insistent?"

Ke didn't answer. The pain made it too unbearable for him to focus on anything else. Just then, a choke came from Sachiko's body, which was beginning to fade. Ke gasped—she was dying!

"Get…off," he hissed, trying to reach for Sachiko with his remaining hand. "For the love of the gods! Get off so I can save her! She's the most important thing in the universe to me! Please, let me save her!"

The bounty hunter snorted. "What, you love her or something?"

Ke closed his bang-covered eyes, and whispered, "_Yes_."

Ryoushi snorted again, before he turned to Sachiko. Frowning, he bent down to touch her when suddenly, something small and gray sped out from under the girl's shirt and stood over the child's body on its hind legs, chittering angrily. Ryoushi blinked at the small, hissing animal, completely distracted, which gave Ke just enough time to crawl over to the girl, and place one, glowing hand on her head.

Then he passed out.

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

Sachiko shut her eyes, trying not to think about the pain.

She was dying. That was the only explanation. She was dying, and she had no idea why…

"Sachi-chan…what's happening to you?" Goku whispered, as he held her. "How can we stop this? Don't do this to us! Not even Gohan got sick like this!"

Despite the difficulty, a sigh managed to escape her lips. At least she wouldn't die all alone. Goku-san and Pikkon-san were here with her…

"Sachiko!" That was Pikkon…she felt a hand on her forehead. "Sachiko! Come on!"

She felt a chill run through her spine, a strong one. Her body even jerked from the force of it.

"Sachi! Please breathe!" A large hand was at her heart, trying to massage it. Sachiko gasped for a second, allowing air into her lungs. Her body began to jerk continuously…she couldn't stop.

Jerk, jerk, jerk, chill, chill, chill…

Footsteps approached them. "Dad? What's happening? Your power level feels—IS THAT SACHIKO?"

_Hi, Gohan-san_, Sachiko thought dully. _I wish I could have spoken to you and Goten. I want to know where Goten got all those mints. I'm almost out, and they were really tasty…_

She exhaled, and everything went black.

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

_Vroom._

Ow…everything hurt…

_Vroom, vroom._

Her arm was being squeezed to the point of oblivion, and her hair was in her face…Sachiko groaned, and opened her eyes…only to meet the dark ones of Ryoushi Ganjou.

"EEEEEEEEK!" she shrieked, causing the bounty hunter holding her arm to jump with fright. "Ryoushi!" she cried, as she struggled to sit up. "You—how did you find me? Why are you holding me?" She looked around and gasped. They were in some car, speeding off on some street…from the looks of it, they still seemed to be in South City… "Where's Ke-kun?" she asked suddenly. "Where is he?"

"He's probably still lying in that alley I left him in," the bounty hunter said, his tone somewhat irritated. "I didn't kill him, don't worry," he said snidely, seeing the look of horror on her face. "I'm not a total monster."

"You…you…meanie!" she yelled, and yanked her arm away from him. "I'm getting out of here, and you can't stop me!" She reached for the door, only to have Ryoushi grab her by the back of her shirt.

"Stay _right_ where you are!" he growled. "I had enough problems with you and that green thing, and that stupid boyfriend of yours! It's ENOUGH!"

"I don't know what you're talking about!" she yelled. "Just leave me alone!" She twisted her head around, and bit down on Ryoushi's hand as hard as she could. The bounty hunter screamed and released her, giving her enough time to fling the car door open and jump out.

Unfortunately, she didn't realize how fast the car was going…

She landed hard on her side, bouncing off the concrete road once—twice—before she skidded to a stop, the skin on her arm scraped to the point of bleeding. Other than that, she felt oddly fine…

The white car skidded to a stop, and Ryoushi stormed out of the car, looking enraged. "You…little…BITCH! To hell with what Tsu wants! I'm teaching you a lesson you'll NEVER forget! I—AAAAAAAAAAAAH!" He dived out of the way as a black jeep suddenly swerved towards him, before screeching to a loud halt. The front passenger window rolled down, and Sachiko saw, in amazement, Hideaki's head sticking out of the window.

"Sachiko!" Hideaki shrieked. "Get in! We have no time to lose!"

"R-right!" Sachiko ran towards the black jeep as Kargo flung the backdoor open for her. She dived in as Ryoushi slowly rose to his feet, and the jeep drove off towards the exit of the city, leaving the bounty hunter with nothing but a trail of smoke.

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

"Yes. Yes. I see. Very well, I shall tell Tsu."

Placing the phone slowly back onto its receiver, Dr. Rei lifted her head towards her companion, her black hair tied perfectly into a neat bun. "He has failed to complete his orders," Rei said in her monotone voice. Her fingers pushed her thick, obscuring glasses perfectly on her nose, before she continued. "The girl has escaped. _He_ will not be pleased…"

The elderly man with her laughed, adjusting his scarf around his head in such a way that his entire head was covered, save his mouth. There were small slits for his eyes, but one could barely see them under all the heavy brown material. "That's okay, my dear," Tsu said cheerfully. "After all, we know exactly where they're headed off to. Kikai has been in my sight for quite some time…and anyway, we received a consolation prize…"

He turned his head towards the door, as three figures stepped through. Two were young men dressed as police officers. In their arms was a wounded, unconscious Piccolo.

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

**Kargo: (Still dressed in bunny costume) Next time, Kikai takes us to see this "associate" of hers…yeesh! He's just an old geezer! How can he help us? **

**Jiro: (Stares at chapter with narrowed eyes) There was nudity in this chapter.**

**Kargo: (Also stares at chapter with narrowed eyes) Yes. Yes, there was. And it involved Sachi-chan.**

**Sachiko: (Panics) I didn't see anything! All I saw was Goku-san's back and Pikkon-san's butt! I'm a good girl! Really I am!**

**Kargo: Then what's with you NOT running out of that bathhouse? If you really weren't curious…you would have run! (Points at section in chapter)**

**Sachiko: It was…um…um…TURMOIL-san!**

**TURMOIL: (Comes up behind Jiro and Kargo and bops them on head) Leave Sachiko alone, you obsessed pervs. You two look too much into things, I swear… (Leaves)**

**Jiro: …what about Ke saying that he "loved" Sachiko? What the hell was that about?**

**Kargo: …**

**Sachiko: …**

**Jiro: …**

**Sachiko: There's more than one kind of love, you know. Ke loves me as a brother.**

**Jiro: Pfft. SURE he does. (Unwraps Halloween candy)**

**Sachiko: Whew. Glad that's over with. (Chews on taffy) Remember Jiro, TURMOIL-san said that you can't eat anymore sugary sweets when we're hosting the "Wind Down" and the "Start Up" of the chapters. Besides, I don't think the Mad Hatter ate candy in any of Lewis Carrol's books…**

**Jiro: Pfft. One little piece of strawberry hard candy isn't going to hurt. Besides, you're one to talk! Alice ate cake, not taffy. (Pops candy in mouth)**

**Kargo: Oh geez. Not this again. (Prepares extra long, menacing looking club)**

**Sachiko: (Nervous) Well, as long as it's not really, really, reaaaaaaally sweet candy, he should be okay with just one piece…**

**Kargo: (coughs) Um, Sachi-chan? (Hold up nutritional contents of candy) The candy is…um…99.9 sugar.**

**Sachiko: …w-what's the other 0.1?**

**Kargo: High fructose corn syrup…and strawberry flavoring.**

**Sachiko: … (Stares nervously at Jiro)**

**Jiro: (Muffled) Shee, Shaciho? 'Em fuh-ine. (Swallows candy)**

**Sachiko: …**

**Kargo: …**

**Jiro: …See? Nothing's wro—urp! (Burps, eyes then dilate to HUGE sizes) Hiccup!**

**Sachiko: Uh-oh.**

**Jiro: (Stares at greasy spot on the wall) Oooooooh. Lookee tha' little hoooooooole.**

**Sachiko: UH-OH.**

**Jiro: (Tries to push head against grease spot) I'ma goin' in tha' hoooooooole.**

**Kargo: (Sighs) Stand back people! Retard exterminator, coming through!**

**Sachiko: EEEP! Kargo-kun, don't hurt Jiro! Oh, use a _smaller_ club at least!**


	36. And Here, the Story Shall Change

Kargo: TURMOIL is not rich, not related to Toriyama in anyway, and has no claim to the DB series. Me, Sachi-chan, and the stupid tagalong are all she owns.

Jiro: HEY! Who're you calling a tagalong?

Kargo: I'm in no mood to argue with you, rich boy. TURMOIL just posted another sleepy, lame chapter which totally lacks action.

Jiro: WHAT?

Kargo: I know, right? BAH, she's so boring lately...

**_Chapter Thirty-Six: And Here, The Story Shall Change_**

In the moonless night, a black jeep sped through the empty highway, the color of the vehicle blending perfectly with the surrounding darkness. As the only car active for miles around, it would have been almost unnoticeable had it not been for the jeep's headlights, or the overhead street lamps that popped up on the highway every now and then. But again, it was alone. It didn't matter.

Inside the car, the atmosphere was as quiet, peaceful even.

Kargo and Jiro were, for once, not arguing. Sitting as far away from each other as possible in the backseat, the Namek slept with his head resting against the cool glass of the jeep window while the human teen slept on his sister's shoulder. Hideaki, who was sitting comfortably in between the two boys, was snoring lightly, her head propped against the seat of the car.

Two figures were not asleep, and both were sitting in the front. One of them was Kikai, who was driving the car and did not look the least bit tired. The other was Sachiko, who in turn looked exhausted, but was too much in a panic to really care.

Stupid, stupid, stupid…she was just so…_stupid_!

As a passing streetlamp illuminated the inside of the vehicle, Sachiko checked her pockets for the forty-seventh time, nearly breaking into tears when she felt only the Four Star Ball and the broken Vidwatch that President Kutai had given her. With her hands clutching hopelessly at these objects, she hung her head as she berated herself over and over again.

It wasn't there. The water canteen she had brought and painted with such care for _him_…it was gone! She lost it! She was so…STUPID!

"What's the matter?" Kikai asked suddenly, her voice low and quiet. Sachiko jumped slightly and turned to the blonde woman, who seemed to be watching the road intently and gave no indication that she had spoke. Sachiko blinked. She wasn't sure now if Kikai had even said a word. Maybe she had imagined it, like she had imagined meeting Goku and Pikkon during Ke's healing…

Kikai's lips curved into a frown, and Sachiko felt her stomach drop. Okay, maybe she hadn't imagined it.

"I hate repeating myself," the woman said, her voice becoming slightly harder as she continued to stare at the highway in front of her. "I'm asking you a question, kid. Why aren't you asleep? It's three o'clock in the morning."

"Um…well…" Sachiko bit her lip, before she spoke in a soft voice, so as to not wake the others. "I was just looking for something, Kikai-san. I'm sorry if I bothered you in any way. Gomen…" Sachiko bowed her head.

Out of the corner of her eye, Sachiko saw the blonde woman's facial expression soften slightly, before it went back to the look of indifference that Sachiko had become accustomed to seeing the past three days. "I was just asking a question," Kikai said dully. "You apologize too much. It's rather annoying at times."

"Gomen…oh! I mean…um…"

Kikai sighed.

The next few minutes were spent in uncomfortable silence. Sachiko gave up checking her pockets and stared at the passing scenery, feeling too dejected to go to sleep.

"You shouldn't feel bad about what the boys said to you," Kikai spoke, her tone low and quiet once more. "You have a right to make other friends, you know. You're not their slave to keep."

Sachiko tilted her head curiously, before realization struck her. On the first day of travel with Kikai, right after she had gotten away from Ryoushi, Kargo and Jiro had been worried about the injury on her arm she received when she had dived out of Ryoushi's car. The skin had been scraped almost to the bone, and was nothing more than a bloody mess…until Sachiko had healed herself using the technique Ke had taught her.

Everyone (with the exception of Kikai, for some reason) had been shocked, and she had been shocked too—she hadn't expected to master the technique so quickly! But when Kargo and Jiro had demanded an explanation as to where she had learned it, she refused to tell them, other than the fact that her teacher had been an old friend…and was a young male. She soon regretted telling them even that much, for they had swooped on her like hawks, _ordering_ her to tell them who the boy was until she could take no more. She had, when Jiro had pushed her to her limit, roughly shoved the older boy away and begged Hideaki to switch seats with her, a request that the older girl gladly complied.

As for Otherworld…she didn't tell anyone about that. It had just been an elaborate dream. Anyway, if it did happen, surely Goku-san would have contacted her by now? Someway, somehow? No, his silence affirmed that everything had been a dream.

"I don't know what's wrong with them," Sachiko muttered, twisting her head backwards so that she could glance at Kargo and Jiro. "They're so weird. One second, they're nice. The next, they're angry and I have no idea _why_ they're angry! They're supposed to be my best friends, but they make me feel really bad sometimes…" Sachiko glanced up at Kikai, who was _still_ watching the road. "Kikai-san…are all boys like this?"

"Yes," Kikai said immediately. "Especially boys who don't know what they want."

"Huh?"

"You'll understand when you're older. Well…if you're exactly like Goku, then you won't. But I'm sure Hideaki will explain it to you. Just don't hold it against them. They don't know any better."

"Oh."

Silence fell again. Sachiko stared at the sky, which was dotted with stars. Watching them, she calmed down slightly, and finally felt the fatigue that she had been battling off all night. She yawned, and turned to Kikai with a tired look. "Aren't you tired, Kikai-san? You've been driving for so long…I don't think you've slept at all in the past three days."

"I told you, I have insomnia," the woman said emotionlessly. "I can't sleep, therefore I might as well do something productive, right?"

The small girl nodded. "I knew an elder in my village who couldn't sleep for almost a month," Sachiko said sleepily. "He would lie awake all night, complaining to his wife…but he was always jumpy. You're so _calm_, even though you have in-nee-sommia."

Kikai's eyes narrowed as she watched the road, but her voice remained collected and controlled. "Maybe I'm just a calm person. Ever thought of that?"

"Yeah, that's what Hideaki said. Is that why I can't feel your ki signature?"

The blonde woman's hands suddenly tightened on the wheel.

"I mean, people usually have a ki reading, even if it's low. But I can't even feel yours. It must be because you really have a good grasp of your emotions! At least, that's what Kargo and Jiro think. You know, they say that you're creepy—" Sachiko saw Kikai's lips thin at that statement "—but _I_ think that you're pretty, and smart, and have really nice clothes…"

"Are you trying to flatter me kid?"

"What does flatter mean?"

"...to compliment someone without sincerity."

Sachiko gasped, and shook her head wildly. "No, no Kikai-san! I really do think you're pretty! But…" Sachiko pursed her lips lightly. "I wish that you could be a little nicer to me…"

The older woman snorted, and Sachiko sighed.

It was quiet again for the next few minutes. Sachiko closed her eyes, and was about to fall asleep when a subject popped into her mind…a very personal, emotional subject that she really wanted to know about Kikai. Sleep now evading her, she peered curiously at the blonde, and asked very softly, "Do you have any husband or kids, Kikai-san?"

Sachiko saw Kikai's eyes widen, but the woman did not take her gaze off of the road.

"I mean, a pretty-ful person like you must have at least a bazillion men that love you," Sachiko pressed, now feeling the need to talk. "Do you have a husband? Well, you don't need a husband to have kids. I mean, my Okaasan's not married, and she had me. You…you remind me of her, you know? You and my Okaasan really act alike in some ways. I wish I knew my Toussan. I don't really know who my Toussan is…but anyway…so yeah. Do you have any kids?" Sachiko's tail swished curiously as she waited for an answer.

Silence.

"Kikai-san?"

Silence.

The small girl looked up at the older woman, and her eyes widened when she saw Kikai's hands gripping the steering wheel. Her hands were clenched so tightly around the wheel that she was on the verge of breaking it right off.

"Kikai-san! You're going to break the—"

"Stop talking," The blonde woman whispered, her voice strained.

"But…"

"_Stop_. _Talking_. _Now_."

Sachiko opened her mouth to protest, but saw Kikai's eyes narrow, even water as she stared hard at the road ahead. The small girl quickly shut her mouth, and turned her gaze back towards the passing scenery.

It wasn't until much later that she realized that Kikai had never even looked at her while they were having their conversation.

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

"Whoa…"

Kargo stared at the scene before him in awe. Clear blue skies…beautiful cerulean waves…miles of white sand stretching before him as far as the eye can see...

He was at a beach.

"Ugh. I hate the beach."

The Namek blinked and turned around to see Jiro's disgusted face. The human teen, once again dressed in his black shirt and blue jeans, stepped onto the beach gingerly, as if his foot was touching garbage instead of simple grains of white sand. "Bleh!" Jiro complained. "I hate this! Why the hell are we even _here_?"

Kargo snorted, and turned back to the scenery, breathing in the fresh sea air as he felt the sunlight hit his face. He had read about beaches when he was younger, and had always wanted to come to one, if just to see their beauty for himself. This was a rare chance for him to enjoy it without interference from his asshole father, and he wasn't gonna let anyone spoil it, especially Jiro.

But where was Sachiko?

He turned back to the car, where he saw Kikai leaning against the jeep with a bored expression. He saw Hideaki coming out of the vehicle, pulling along a very drowsy Sachiko as the small girl shuffled outside, rubbing her eyes and yawning.

It was as if she hadn't gotten more than a few hours of sleep. That wasn't normal for her.

_And whose fault is that_, his mind hissed, _you selfish jerk? You and rich boy scared her so much that she wouldn't even sit next to you for the last three days! Some friend YOU are!_

"Ugh," he mumbled. Well, nothing left to do but try to patch things up again. She had spoken very little to him and Jiro during the last few days, though. How was he supposed to fix this? It wasn't as if he could just whip her up some pork buns on the spot and pamper his way back into her good graces…

"Kargo?"

The Namek shrieked and whirled around, only to find himself face to face with Sachiko. The small girl blinked at him sleepily, before she wrapped her arms around his waist, and buried her head against his chest.

"Eh?" Kargo felt the heat rush to his face. Oh gods, he must be blushing up a storm! What was all this about? After her not speaking to him for so long? Not that he didn't enjoy her hugs…in fact, he had been going through some weird withdrawal without her hugging him every fifteen minutes…Out of the corner of his eye, Kargo saw Jiro watching them with a look of intent…was that anger…or _jealousy_?

"Shweepy…" Sachiko mumbled, nuzzling her head against his chest. She turned her face to the sun, and frowned when the light hit her eyes. "Agh…Kargo, make the sun go _away_…"

"So, you're not mad at me anymore?" Kargo asked cautiously, wondering whether or not Sachiko's behavior was simply due to her being very, very tired. As he returned her embrace, he hoped her fatigue wasn't the case, but _still_.

"I was never mad," Sachiko muttered, as she looked up at him tiredly. "I was just waiting for you and Jiro to stop asking so many questions about Ke. You guys scare me when you ask questions like _that_."

"So I guess you're not gonna tell me who this Ke is."

"Well—EEP!" Sachiko shrieked as Jiro suddenly ripped her out of Kargo's hold, and tossed her to the side. "OW!" the small girl cried as her rump hit the sand. "That hurt! What're you doing Jiro?"

"Yeah!" Kargo yelled, more than a little upset at the interruption. "Sachi-chan and I were having a private talk, you stupid son-of-a-bitch!"

"You don't need to _hug_ someone when talking!" Jiro hissed. He turned to Sachiko, who was rising to her feet, and narrowed his eyes. "What the hell is wrong with you, anyway? You don't speak to me and the freak for three days, give _me _the goddamned cold shoulder treatment, and now you're all over the _freak_ like nothing fucking happened, and you completely ignore me _again_! How about an apology for the hundredth time of brushing me off? Huh?"

Sachiko rubbed her bottom, and frowned as she brushed the sand off of her back. "Jiro…I didn't talk to you and Kargo-kun a lot because you guys scared me when you wanted to know about Ke! I'm sorry if I seemed cold, and I'm sorry for hurting your feelings…but I won't apologize for hugging Kargo! I _always _hug him! I'd hug you too, but you don't like it when I do that!"

Jiro's face reddened at that statement, but his face became even angrier, if anything. "Well, knock it off!" Jiro yelled. "It's not…um…_appropriate_, okay?"

"Don't tell her what to do!" Kargo yelled, now on the verge of sheer rage. "You're not even her real friend! You're just with us because you want a wis—"

"SHUT UP!" Jiro shrieked. "SHE DOESN'T NEED TO KNOW THAT!"

"What's going on here?" Hideaki yelled, as she made her way through the sand. Kikai trailed her, with a small capsule in hand. "Geez, I can hear you guys all the way from the car! What the heck are you all fighting about so early in the morning?"

Kargo and Jiro both growled and turned away, staring hard at the sand. Hideaki and Kikai raised their brows and looked at Sachiko for an explanation, but the small girl merely sighed and shook her head.

"Good grief," Kikai muttered. "We're wasting time." Without another word, the woman suddenly leapt into the air, flying with such grace that it seemed as if it took her absolutely no effort at all.

Sachiko, Kargo, Jiro, and Hideaki all stared at her with open mouths—they knew she was a fighter, but they didn't know she knew the art of flying either. Just what else did this woman have under her sleeve? "Are you coming or not?" Kikai yelled from the air, snapping them all out of their daze. "It's not that much further to Kame Island, and the sooner we get there, the sooner I can get back to the rest of my life."

"Are you sure this Roshi guy can help us?" Kargo asked, as he floated into the air beside Kikai. "From what you've told me, he just sounds like a dirty, perverted old man."

"He _is_ a dirty, perverted old man," Kikai said, her tone bored. "But he knows more about the dragonballs then I do, thus he can help you out more than I can."

"How?"

Kikai sighed, and brushed her hair out of her face. "What can I say? You'll find out once you get there—Hey!" Kikai moved backwards just as Sachiko zipped upwards through the air, missing the blonde by inches. "Watch it, kid!"

"S-sorry!" Sachiko squealed, hovering high over their heads. She flew down to their level, and gave them a sheepish look. "I don't know what happened…I put out the same amount of power I usually use to fly, but I flew WAY too high! I'm sorry…"

"You're apologizing too much," Kikai groaned. "_Again_."

"Oops! I'm sorr—I mean, um…I'll try not to do that again, Kikai-san…" Sachiko bowed her head, while Kargo gave her a questioning look.

"Hmph. Whatever." The blonde rolled her eyes, and looked down at Jiro and Hideaki, who seemed to be arguing. "What's taking them so long? Don't they know how to fly?"

Sachiko and Kargo sweatdropped. "Jiro knows," Sachiko explained slowly. "But for Hideaki-chan…um…well…"

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

"Jiro-kun, you're going to have to carry me," Hideaki said, as the others waited impatiently for them to catch up. "You don't have to carry me bridal style. I'll just climb on your back, okay? Hey, are you okay?" Hideaki turned to her brother worriedly, and froze when she saw the look of absolute rage on Jiro's face. "Jiro! What's the matter? Is this about the fight you and Kargo and Sachiko had?"

"No!" Jiro snapped, his icy eyes becoming lit with hatred. "I'm not mad because that little twit Sachiko completely ignored me again! I'm not mad because she seems to favor an _alien_ over her own human race! I'M ABSOLUTELY HAPPY!"

Hideaki sweatdropped. "You don't seem happy…"

"I'M PERFECTLY FINE!"

"O-okay. And…um…Jiro-kun…Sachiko isn't really human."

"SHE LOOKS HUMAN ENOUGH!"

Hideaki cringed at his growing tone, and prayed that she wasn't going to send him over the top with her next statement. "But Jiro, I've been talking to Kargo a lot, and we've been thinking. If we _are_ related to these Bulma and Vegeta people, and if Sachiko's a descendant of Goku _and_ Vegeta…then that makes her related to us in some way…" Hideaki thought for a moment, and laughed. "She might even be our cousin, to put it into terms…" She gave Jiro a smile, which quickly faded at the look of anger on his face.

"We're not related to that asshole Vegeta!" Jiro yelled. "Sachiko is NOT related to us! Never say that again! Now let's get going!"

Hideaki shrieked when Jiro lifted her over his shoulder, and flew quickly into the air. "AAAACK! Jiro! I don't like heights! Be careful! Don't drop me, or I'll drag you down the ocean with me, and I know you won't like that because I know you hate water!"

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

"OH YEAH! Shake it baby! Eh-heh-heh-heh!"

His sunglasses glinting mischievously, the bald, old man sat inches away from the small television set, his eyes glued to the images of exercising women as a thin trail of drool oozed out of the corner of his mouth. To an absolute stranger, he would have been dismissed as a horny, perverted elder with nothing better to do with his time than oogle at the bodies of young girls.

At least, that's what _would_ have happened, had it not been for the purple turtle shell on the old man's back. That would have aroused some suspicion, even curiosity. But what was really out of place was the white cat that was holding a staff as it walked up to the old man. As far as the normal world was concerned, cats didn't walk on two legs, and they didn't hold staffs.

If the old man noticed, he didn't seem to care—his attention was solely on the stretching girls.

The cat glanced at the television screen, coughed, and, using the head of his staff, promptly thumped the old man on the behind. Hard.

"OW!" The old man shot forward in shock, and his head sailed straight _through_ the television with a loud _CRASH_, sending a billow of smoke exploding throughout the living room, obscuring everything from view. When it cleared, the white cat peered at the old man with a smug grin, as the elder coughed and pulled his head out of the ruined T.V. set, his face slightly charred, but otherwise unharmed.

"Korin, you little devil!" the old man screamed, turning towards the white feline with a look of rage. "They were just getting to the good part! You had no right to pull such a horrible stunt!"

"Oh please," the cat replied unconcernedly. "They show the same thing everyday, with the same girls everyday. It gets tiring, Master Roshi."

The old man gasped in shock, as the statement was too horrible for his ears. "Korin! Don't say such things! They change the girls every year!"

"…you actually notice things like that?"

"…yes."

"…it's still tiring. And it shows how pathetic you are."

"Gosh dang it, Korin! I should never have let you stay here for the past five years! "

"But Master, Korin has a point." Roshi and Korin turned to see a large brown turtle crawl its way over to them. The turtle blinked at the television set, before he sighed, and gave Roshi a sad look. "Really, Master. I hoped that your fetish would have faded in the last century or two, especially after Eighteen's last visit seventy-five years ago."

"Oh yeah…Android Eighteen." Roshi's lips curved into a lecherous grin, and his eyes shined brightly. "Oh, I miss her. When do you think she'll be coming back?"

"Master," Turtle groaned, "didn't she say last time that she would never, ever come near this place again, even if ravenous viruses were destroying her insides, and you were the only one with a cure?"

"Oh, she didn't mean that!" Roshi laughed. "She always comes back every century or so! It's an unofficial tradition between us! She's nuts about me, I tells ya!"

Korin and Turtle groaned, and were about to protest when a loud "ACK!" came from outside. The old man, the cat, and the turtle blinked stupidly for a moment, before they all ran to the window, curious as to who the intruder was. Master Roshi stared at the woman, before his eyes lit with glee.

"WHOO! It's Android Eighteen! Someone up there must LOVE me!"

"Look Master!" Turtle exclaimed as several more figures approached the island. "There's more! There's a human boy carrying another woman!"

"Another woman? Hot diggity!" Roshi glanced at the woman, who was getting off of the young boy's back, and his jaw hit the floor. "Holy smokes! She looks just like Bulma!"

"There's a Namek with them too," Turtle went on, his eyes narrowed as he tried to see through the blinds. "And…oh! There's a little girl with them!"

Roshhi snorted. "A _little_ girl? Please! I just want to focus on Eighteen and the Bulma look-alike!"

"But Master!" Turtle exclaimed. "She has a tail!"

"A TAIL?" Korin peeked though the blinds, and his eyes widened. His white fur became even whiter, and the feline was trembling slightly. "A little girl with a—a tail? Oh god! I've gotta hide!"

Master Roshi and Turtle watched as the white cat scrambled towards the closet, and locked himself in. The two exchanged glances, before they went back to the window—only to scream when they saw Eighteen up close, giving them a _very_ hard stare.

"This isn't a peek show, old man," Eighteen said coldly, her voice muffled through the window. "Open the door and let me in."

"D-dang it! You could have just rang the bell!" Roshi cried, but he crawled on his hands and knees towards the front door and opened it, half expecting to find a skirt to peek under. Instead, he found himself staring at a pair of skinny legs with knobby knees, and looked up to find himself staring into the golden eyes of a very small, very young girl.

The old man blinked, and the small girl blinked back, before she gave him a grin. A very, very familiar looking grin. Master Roshi thought for a moment, before his eyes widened from behind his sunglasses. No, it couldn't be.

"Hello!" The small girl chirped. "You must be the pervert Kikai-san told me about! I'm Muzai Sachiko!" The small girl tilted her head, and curiously asked, "There's just one thing I want to know, mister. What's a pervert?"

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

**Kargo: Next time, the group splits up. Due to a horrible turn of events, Sachiko and JIRO end up going somewhere alone together, and I'm stuck safeguarding Hideaki from that old pervert! Keep your hands off the scientist, old man! **

**Jiro: FINALLY! Some alone time with just me and Sachiko…**

**Kargo: … (Thinks murderous thoughts)**

**Sachiko: Once again in our "Wind Down" corner, we have the cool and pretty Kikai-san, also known as Android Eighteen! Applause, please!**

**Eighteen: Oh gods. This chapter was HORRIBLE. I was so sappy…and what the hell? Master Roshi? Who invited him? Was he even in character? Gods, TURMOIL is horrible…**

**Jiro: Such is the curse of fanfiction. (Nods sagely) It's worse when the author sucks too.**

**Sachiko: Well, I liked it! I thought this chapter almost captured that motherly side Kikai-san had for her own daughter, Marron! Of course, I'm not REALLY Kikai's daughter, so…**

**Eighteen: …so I might have seemed a little distant. But not distant enough. I regret talking to you for so long.**

**Sachiko: W-what? You don't like me, Kikai-san? (Eyes well with tears)**

**Kargo: AGH! Eighteen, take it back! Sachiko's really sensitive!**

**Eighteen: Whatever. If at least three readers think I stayed in character, and want us to continue our…conversations…then I'll apologize in the next chapter. But if the readers think I sucked…well, too bad for you, girlie.**

**Sachiko: …WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH! (Runs away crying)**

**Kargo: EIGHTEEN!**

**Eighteen: Three readers, kid! Three readers, and I'll apologize!**

**Jiro: You heard the robot woman! Read and review, or Sachiko's gonna drown us all with her tears! (Looks back at chapter, and frowns) I am NOT related to Vegeta! I am NOT related to Sachiko! That would horribly complicate things!**


	37. Two Conditions

Jiro: TURMOIL does not own the DB series. She says that if she did, she wouldn't be depressed…which she _is_, as pathetic as that sounds.

Kargo: Note! Special thanks goes to **rimera** for her help on the characters of Eighteen and Vegeta! Without the help, our author probably would have done something stupid.

Jiro: Which TURMOIL does anyway, twice a day.

Kargo: Well, it's not like we get any other help. Eighteen is arguably the most controversial character to write about. It's almost impossible to write about her in a sense that matches the show, because she doesn't TALK much at all in the actual series after the Cell saga. So if you readers think she's a bit off, please say WHY, so that our author doesn't have to rip her hair out every time she gets a review.

Jiro: And while we're ranting…Oy! I am NOT a pedophile! I am fourteen, Sachiko is ten! Also, I have no romantic interest in her! It's purely platonic!

Kargo: (Raises brow) Oh really? Then if I…say…KISS Sachi right on her lips, you wouldn't mind?

Jiro: …Go near her and I'll rip your head off…

TURMOIL: (From the shadows) Hey, idiots! You do realize that Sachiko's fate is my decision, right? So stop arguing and shut up! (Leaves)

Kargo: WHAT? You can't leave us hanging like this you bit—oh, hi Sachi.

Sachiko: (Oblivious) Guys? Have you seen Kikai-san? She's supposed to apologize today...(Grins) SEVEN people want her to apologize to me! I can't believe it!

(Outside "Start Up" room)

Eighteen: (Wearing pink tee-shirt with "I LOVE SACHIKO" written on it) …No. Never. No, no, no. I am NOT going to do this, especially not in this outfit.

Hideaki: Come on Eighteen. You promised the readers.

Eighteen: No. Your author is out of her mind. I wasn't even planning to apologize. This is absolutely degrading.

Hideaki: So is marrying a midget bald guy, but you did THAT anyway.

Eighteen: …

**_Chapter Thirty-Seven: Two Conditions _**

"PERVERT!"

Sitting rigidly on the white sofa, Sachiko watched nervously as Hideaki and Kikai threw harsh glares towards Master Roshi, who now had two bright red hand-prints on his cheeks as he laughed nervously. "Oh, come on!" the old man said, scratching the back of his bald head as he tried to smile. "It's been years since I saw beautiful women like yourselves in person! I was just a little…overeager!"

"OVEREAGER?" Hideaki shrieked, her arms shielding her chest. "You freaking MOLESTED my breasts, you old bastard! I should charge you for sexual harassment!"

"Oh, come on sis," Jiro said, apparently unaffected by his sister's violation. "It's not like that's the first time a guy's groped your tits. You let Katsu do that all the time, if I recall…"

"SHUT UP!" Hideaki screamed as she swung a pillow at Jiro's head, missing as the boy artfully dodged out of her hitting range. "Katsu is my boyfriend, you son-of-a-bitch! He is _allowed_ to touch me, you uncaring, hedonistic CRETIN!"

_Well, it's official,_ Sachiko thought. _I have absolutely no idea what they're talking about. _As the Kutai siblings argued, Sachiko looked around and saw Kargo cough and blush, while Kikai shook her head.

"Kikai-san?" Sachiko asked loudly over the fighting. "What're they talking about? Are they still talking about Master Roshi and him touching Hideaki's boobies, or are they talking about something I really shouldn't be listening to?"

The blonde woman sighed, and closed her eyes. "Both," she said tiredly. "This is why I told your friend to wear extra baggy clothing. Large breasts are pervert magnets." She threw another dirty look at Roshi as she said this, but this went unnoticed by the old man, who now fixed his attention on Sachiko.

"So…Eigh—I mean, _Kikai_ tells me that you're one of Goku's." the hermit asked. He lowered his sunglasses and gave Sachiko an up and down stare. "Hmm. Hmmmmm. A good five or six years, and you'll have a pretty eye-catching figure, eh-heh-heh—OW!"

The turtle hermit yelped as both Kikai and Kargo threw a heavy object at his head—Kikai choosing the obnoxiously large ashtray on the coffee table, Kargo choosing Turtle, who had unsuccessfully tried to crawl away as the Namek grabbed the back of his shell. Sachiko gaped in shock as the old man twitched on the floor for a minute, before he sat up, rubbing his head, as if the hits did very little to damage his seemingly old frame.

"Yeowch!" Roshi groaned, touching the two rising bumps on his cranium. He looked up and moaned pitifully, "That was a little over the top, don't you think? All I said was that she'd be a looker in the future…"

"Oooooow," Turtle groaned, trying to flip himself off of his back.

"Your definition of 'looker' is not something to be proud over," Kikai said flatly, as Kargo sat closer to Sachiko, wrapping an arm around her shoulders protectively. Jiro caught this, but said nothing, for he was far too occupied with Hideaki at the moment. "And frankly," Kikai continued, "we're wasting time with all this. I told you, while you were groping that girl over there—" Kikai pointed to Hideaki, who had finally stopped arguing with Jiro and was now in a staring contest with him "—that these kids were looking for something…"

"The dragonballs?" Roshi finished, and everyone, including Jiro and Hideaki, turned to stare at him.

"How the fuck did you know that?" Jiro asked.

Roshi smirked, a knowing look spreading across his face as he reached into the inside of his shirt, and pulled out a small shining orange orb. "Is this what you want?" he asked, as everyone's jaws dropped.

"That's the Three Star dragonball!" Hideaki gasped, as Sachiko, Kargo, and Jiro all reached into their pockets and pulled out the Four Star, One Star, and Seven Star Balls respectively. In seconds, the orbs began to glow brightly, illuminating those holding them in an almost ethereal manner. Everyone shielded their eyes as the glow grew brighter, brighter, brighter…until it faded to a soft, pulsing light, as if the balls were pulsating with life at just being near one another.

"Pretty…" Sachiko cooed, her eyes sparkling at the sight.

"I found this little gem washed up on my beach," Roshi said, his beard rustling slightly as his face took on a look of thoughtfulness. "At first, I thought I was hallucinating, but when I picked it up…" The old man looked at the pulsing orb, and sighed. "I just got that old feeling of Déjà vu. I figured that someone revived these balls, and would come along looking for them. This is exactly how I met Goku, to tell you the truth…"

"Goku-san?" Sachiko turned her gaze towards the turtle hermit with wide eyes. "You knew Goku-san, Master Roshi? How? He died almost six hundred years ago! You'd have to be…um…way, way older to have known him!"

"I _am_ way, way older," Roshi replied, scratching his chin. "I'm almost a millennia in age, thanks to continuous drinks from the Fountain of Youth…"

"You're almost a thousand years old?" Hideaki shrieked. "T-that's biologically impossible! That _can't_ be true! There is no such thing as the Fountain of Youth!"

"I'm here now, aren't I?" Roshi persisted.

"But…but…"

Jiro was just as stunned as his sibling. He stared at the old man incredulously, before his ice blue eyes fell on Kikai. "Is that how you know Goku as well?" he asked. "Did you drink from that fountain too? Are you seven hundred years old, or something?"

Kikai didn't answer.

Kargo reached inside his hoodie, and pulled out a worn leather book, flipping hurriedly throughout the pages. Sachiko cocked her head as she watched her Namekian friend stop at a marked page, his eyes blazing through the contents as they grew progressively wider. "No way…" he murmured.

"What's wrong Kargo?" Sachiko whispered.

"Dende wrote about this horny old man who was always trying to touch the wives of Goku, Vegeta, Krillen…he was over two hundred years old at the time…and his name was Master Roshi!" Kargo looked up, his eyes as round as dinner plates. "I think the pervert's telling the truth…"

"I _always_ tell the truth!" Roshi boasted, laughing as Kikai and Turtle (who finally righted himself) gave him an annoyed look.

Kargo read further before he put the book down. "Strange," he muttered. "Dende very, very briefly mentions a blonde woman with cold eyes in one paragraph…the woman that was Krillin's wife. Only, she wasn't really a woman…she was a machine."

"An android?" Hideaki asked. Everyone with the exception of Sachiko and Roshi failed to see Kikai's sudden discomfort.

"Uh, a cyborg would be a better term. It's written that she was once human…but it's strange. I met all of the other wives of the past fighters, even some of the daughters, but I don't ever recall having met Krillin's wife…" The Namek's eyes slowly traveled to Kikai, who was now staring silently at the floor. He paused for a moment, before he shook his head. "Nah. It can't be…"

Jiro, meanwhile, made a noise of disgust. "Gross. A guy fucking a machine? That's just wrong." Kikai broke from her trance and gave the teen a cold glare, one that Jiro caught and returned. "What, woman? What's your problem?"

The turtle hermit coughed loudly, breaking the tension. "Eigh—I mean, Kikai," Roshi said quietly. "Um…it's none of my business, but maybe you should tell them…"

"Shut up." Kikai said coldly. "Old man, shut up about things that do _not_ involve you." She stood up abruptly, and walked towards the door. "This is ridiculous, and a waste of time. I'm gone."

"Huh? Wait, Kikai-san!" Detangling herself from Kargo's hold, Sachiko hopped off the sofa and grabbed the blonde woman's arm, holding onto it tightly. "W-where are you going? We just got here!"

"I'm going back to the city," Kikai said emotionlessly, not looking at her. "Unlike you and your rude friends ("HEY!" Kargo and Jiro yelled), I actually _have_ a life, and I would prefer for it to stay the way it always has been. Comfortable, and without distractions like _you_."

Sachiko blinked, not fully understanding the woman's words. "W-what do you mean, Kikai-san? I thought…I thought we were becoming…"

"I have better things to do than look after a little whiny brat," Kikai snapped. "I kept my end of the promise. I got you and your gang of followers to the old man. You guys even got another dragonball. Now, I'm gone."

"Kikai-san…"

"Leave me alone, kid. Stay out of my life. I've had enough." With that, she jerked her hand away from the small girl, and walked out of the house, her white heels echoing dismally in the now silent household.

No one said a word as, though the window, they watched Kikai power up and fly away. But once she was out of sight, Jiro cursed her under his breath as Kargo and Hideaki stared worriedly at Sachiko, who had not moved at all since Kikai had walked out the door.

The small girl didn't say anything. She was too busy wondering why she was feeling a strange sense of Déjà vu through the feelings of hurt. It felt as if she had experienced this type of situation before.

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

Staring up at the increasingly cloudy and darkening sky, Ryoushi leaned against the abandoned black jeep, covering his mouth as he yawned in boredom.

The weeks he spent since accepting Tsu's offer had been…peculiarly interesting. Every couple of days, the old man would tell him to mediate in an eerily dark room. While doing so, Tsu would always place a hand on his head, and through the entire meditation, the old master would chant something strange….dark…almost unholy, if one took the time to think about it. It reminded the bounty hunter of the time he spent in the Northern feudal villages, when he had had to chase after a criminal who had hid in one of the shrines of some god, Amatsu or something like that.

Then again, Ryoushi wasn't at all religious. He brushed it off, especially because during the chants, Ryoushi always felt a strange chill up his spine, before a strange burst of energy overcame his body. Once the session was over, Ryoushi always tested out his strength, and was always more than a little pleased when his ki blasts continuously increased in strength.

Of course, he wasn't going to put his new powers to waste. He was secretly planning to killing two birds with one stone—he would capture the small girl and her green boyfriend for Tsu, that was for sure. However, he would not kill Jiro and Hideaki Kutai like Tsu, Dr. Rei, and that Mr. Big-Shot-Company-Man wanted. He was going to sneak them back home to Miyuki, collect his other five million zenni as originally planned, and then go off and enjoy the rest of his life.

Yes, he was a bit greedy, and he was damn proud of it.

"Wool-gathering, Pupil?" Tsu asked suddenly, as he studied a white seashell through the eyeholes of his face-covering scarf.

"Kind of," the bounty hunter answered, staring at his teacher. As much as he respected the old man, Ryoushi privately thought that the scarf was stupid. Not only did it cover Tsu's entire head, but the old man never took the damn thing off. It clashed horribly with the expensive suits Tsu wore, and Ryoushi often had to wonder what the hell happened to his old master for the man to continuously hide his face like that.

"It's rude to stare like that, you know," Tsu said cheerfully, turning the shell over in his hand. "My face isn't that interesting to look at, especially not after that lawnmower accident."

Ryoushi raised a brow. "Lawnmower accident?"

"Yes. It involves a broken hammock, me having sex with two beautiful women, and a runaway lawnmower. It's quite a graphic and gory tale, and involves hours of surgery…would you like to hear about it?"

"N-no," Ryoushi answered, feeling somewhat sick from both the images in his mind and from Tsu's never-ending cheery tone. He sounded as if he won an award, instead of getting into a disfiguring accident…

"Ah! There she is!" Tsu exclaimed, suddenly looking towards the sky. "The bee-ooh-tee-full lady, Kikai Ichihatsu!" With a laugh, the old man leapt towards the sky, using his ki to soar quickly through the air like a man of twenty. Ryoushi focused for a moment, before he used his power to fly after his teacher.

Flying…how did humanity ever learn to survive without it?

He caught up fairly quickly with his teacher, who stopped in front of an attractive blonde woman also flying in the air. The woman stopped, and Ryoushi saw her eyes widen from surprise at the sight of them.

_Huh_, Ryoushi thought._ Must have thought that no one else could fly… _

"Ahem!" Tsu cleared his throat loudly, before he bowed rather elegantly in front of the woman. "Greetings, hello, and salutations! I am Tsu, a humble martial arts master who wishes for your attention Miss Kikai…or should I say Android Eighteen?" Tsu lifted his scarf covered head, and Ryoushi saw his master's lips curve upwards through the mouth opening.

"What are you talking about?" the blonde woman said, her eyes narrowing as her fists clenched. "Android Eighteen? I don't know—"

"Let's not bullshit one another, Miss Eighteen," Tsu said, his cheerful voice becoming slightly edged. "I know who you are, and I know _what_ you are. Centuries ago, you were one of the strongest women warriors on the planet. You still are, in fact. The fact that your human organs were replaced by machinery is what kept you alive all these years, is what kept you _young_ all these years, whether you wanted it to or not…"

"Master," Ryoushi interrupted. "W-what are you talking about? Is this woman a—a machine? Is that why I can't sense her ki?"

"An android, my boy!" Tsu replied smoothly. Then he frowned, and shook his head. "No, that's incorrect. A cyborg would be the more proper term…"

"What do you want?" the woman called Eighteen growled, and assumed a professional fighting stance. Ryoushi frowned, and took a stance himself, but Tsu stopped him.

"Not you, my boy. If you fight, the children might sense your energy, and we can't have that…_yet_." Tsu turned to Eighteen, and gave her a smirk. "Miss Eighteen, I think you should know that the minute you got yourself involved with Sachiko Muzai, you were doomed. You caught Dr. Rei's eye, and I'm afraid she wants to study you as a guinea pig, along with the girl…"

"What?" Eighteen's jaw dropped slightly, before she backed away slightly. "I am _no one's_ guinea pig! And what's this about the Muzai girl? Why are you after her?"

Tsu smirked. Then, without warning, he moved at incredible speeds, speeds much too fast even for the cybernetic woman to follow. Before Ryoushi or Eighteen could blink, Tsu had grabbed the woman by the arm and, in a deft movement, used a glowing hand to _slice_ the woman's right arm off from the elbow down. He then bent down, grabbed the woman's left leg, and sliced it off from the knee down.

"Oh my gods!" Ryoushi screamed, as the woman shrieked in shock and pain…at least, Ryoushi thought it was pain. Instead of a mess of blood and muscle, the woman had electrical wires and machinery sprouting out of her destroyed limbs. The bounty hunter stared at Tsu in horror, as the old man dropped the now useless arm and leg into the ocean below.

The woman stopped screaming, and narrowed her eyes. Ryoushi saw her body tense visibly, before she charged at Tsu, her remaining hand raised and ready to strike. The woman was incredibly fast, but before she could hit him, Tsu leaned back, allowing the fist to sail _inches_ over his face. The old master then grabbed her remaining arm, twisted it cruelly, and kneed the woman in the stomach, his teeth bared in a grin as Eighteen bent over, gasping. Tsu waited a moment, before he delivered a powerful high kick straight at her chin.

Ryoushi could only stare as the woman's head snapped back with a horrid _crack_. Her eyes turned glassy, before she went limp. Tsu caught the woman in his arms, and gazed at her almost tenderly, before he turned back to the stunned Ryoushi.

He had not known his teacher was _this_ powerful…

"Well Pupil! Call one of the, err, _policemen_ over here! We need to get Rei's guinea pig back to the lab before she wakes up!"

The bounty hunter could only stammer. "B-but sir! W-what about the girl and the green child?"

"Oh, they can wait. It's not as if they're just going to fly away on some seemingly random, yet completely important adventure!"

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

"I need you to go on a seemingly random, yet completely important adventure!" Roshi declared.

Hideaki, Jiro, Kargo, and a rather saddened Sachiko looked up at the old man, confusion written all over their faces. "What for?" Kargo asked.

"For the dragonball, of course!" Roshi said, as if that was the most obvious thing in the world. "What, did you expect me to give this to you for free? Eh-heh-heh!"

"Actually, we kind of did," Jiro muttered, crossing his arms. "For once, I would have liked to get a dragonball without interference, or conditions, or any goddamn life-threatening scenarios…"

"You know, you remind me a lot of Vegeta," Roshi commented, only to pale when Jiro threw him an icy glare. "I-it was just an observation, kid! Don't take it so seriously!"

"Jiro has a habit of taking many things seriously," Hideaki said pitifully, "especially if those things are damaging to him in some way…or are preventing him from obtaining something he really, really wants but can't admit to himself that he wants it."

Jiro's eye twitched, before he flicked his sister on the ear rather painfully. _Flick._

"OW! Jiro, you asshole!"

"...feh."

Kargo immediately fumed at this, while Sachiko and Roshi blinked. The small girl and the turtle hermit weren't quite sure what Hideaki had said that was so offensive—Roshi because he hadn't been around the group long enough, Sachiko because she never quite understood anything that was going on in the first place. She turned to Kargo for an explanation, but the Namek only grabbed her hand and held it tightly.

Boys. They were so strange.

"Ahem." Roshi coughed, grabbing everyone's attention once again before he continued. "As I was saying! I want you guys to do something for me! Well, two things, actually…"

"This just gets better and better," Jiro mumbled.

"The first thing," Roshi announced, "is for you kids to go to my sister's place and get me back my Box! Here's where she lives, all marked and stamped." He handed Sachiko a small brown map, which the girl took very slowly and reluctantly.

"Um…why…a box?" Sachiko asked slowly. "Why? You have plenty of boxes in your home right here! There's one by the door!" The small girl pointed to a cardboard box that was next to the entrance.

"Not that kind of box!" Roshi cried. "There's a special metal box that I lost to my sister, Baba, the last time we played poker. Inside the Box are items so powerful, items so wonderfully _addictive_, that in the wrong hands, men become nothing more than mere slaves to desire and temptation! And I need them back!"

"What's in there?" Kargo inquired, raising a brow. "Are they some magic talismans or what?"

Roshi humphed, and crossed his arms. "I can't tell you," he said. "You'll have to get the Box for me first. Then, I might show you…"

"Oh fine!" Hideaki groaned, not liking the sound of the bargain. "We'll go! Just lend us a boat or something, and—"

"Not you," Roshi cut in. Giving Hideaki a lecherous grin, he giggled giddily, before he said too cheerfully, "I want you to stay here and go on a _date_ with me."

"HUH?" Hideaki's eyes nearly bulged out of her head, and she shrank away from the old man. "You want a—a _date_?"

"For the dragonball. Yes. One date!" The old man was almost drooling now, and his lips were stretched in a toothy grin. "Eh-heh-heh!"

"NO!" Hideaki shrieked. "Absolutely not! I will not lower myself to—"

"Done," Jiro said dully.

"Really? I mean, alright!" Master Roshi almost leapt in the air from sheer joy as Sachiko and Kargo sweatdropped.

"YOU ASS!" Hideaki screamed into Jiro's ear. "How DARE you pimp me to some old lecher! I am your _sister_ you jackass!"

"I'll go get ready!" Roshi said excitedly, before he dashed upstairs to prepare himself. He stopped halfway suddenly, and ran back downstairs. "By the way," the old man said, "I have a little advance for you kids. Go outside, and shout 'Flying Nimbus!' You'll get a nice little surprise." With that, he ran back upstairs. Hideaki watched him go with a look of despair, before she turned to her brother, absolutely furious.

"You…are…DEAD!" she screamed, before she lunged at her younger sibling. Jiro grabbed his sister by the wrists and, with surprisingly little effort, sat her down on the sofa like a child.

"It's just a date sis," Jiro said, his tone bored. "Come on. This guy seems mostly harmless."

Hideaki stared at Jiro in rage. "If he's so _harmless_, then _you_ date him!"

Jiro stuck his tongue out in disgust, before he sighed. "Fine then. If it bothers you so much, then one of us will stay here with you while the others go and get the Box that the old man wants so much. Who do you want?"

The elder Kutai sibling glared at her brother, before she carefully weighed her options. There was no way she could rely on Jiro to protect her. He had just pimped her out to a horny old man! Maybe Sachiko…she blinked when she felt a small tugging on her arm, and looked down to see Sachiko peering up at her. "What's up Sachiko-chan?" Hideaki asked.

"I should go get the Box," the small girl whispered. "If we send Kargo and Jiro by themselves, they might kill each other."

Hideaki thought for a moment, before she turned towards the boys, sweatdropping when she saw them in another glaring contest. Ugh. She couldn't leave those boys by themselves. They would try to eat each other alive. That left…"Fine," Hideaki said. "Jiro, go with Sachiko-chan and get the Box thing. Kargo, you stay here with me and protect me."

"What?" The Namek stared at Hideaki in shock as a grin slowly spread on Jiro's face. "I'm not letting Sachiko go by herself to this Baba woman! She could get hurt!"

"S'okay Kargo," Sachiko said, scratching her chin. "I mean, I have Jiro coming with me…"

"NO!" Kargo turned to Hideaki, his face enraged. "Why don't you take your brother? He's your BROTHER, after all!"

"I don't trust him!" Hideaki yelled.

"Neither do I!" the Namek shot back.

As the two argued, Jiro snorted and narrowed his eyes. "Geez. Nice to know that I'm loved." At this, Sachiko merely sighed and took his arm.

"Come on Jiro," she said. "We should go now if we want to get that Box. It's starting to look really cloudy out." She tightened her hold, so that the older boy couldn't push her away like he normally did, and pulled him out of the house. She squirmed when sand flew into her face—the wind was really picking up.

"Should we fly?" Jiro asked, covering his eyes and mouth as sand blew around them. "I could ask Hideaki for a hovercraft capsule."

"The weather—bleh—doesn't look that bad," Sachiko replied, spitting out sand from her mouth. She thought for a moment, before she snapped her fingers. "I got it!' she exclaimed. She ran to the edge of the beach, took a deep breath (which ended in her coughing as sand flew into her mouth) and cried out, "FLYING NIMBUS!"

"Sachiko!" Jiro yelled. "What the hell are you doing?"

"I'm just doing what Master Roshi told me to—EEK!" Sachiko squeaked in surprise as a little yellow cloud suddenly appeared in front of her. She stumbled backwards as the cloud floated closer and closer to her, as if bewitched. "Jiro! Help! It won't stop following me! EEK!" Sachiko squeaked again as she tripped over something, and felt her body falling backwards…right onto something soft and bouncy. Sachiko sat up, and gasped when she realized that she was _sitting_ _on_ the yellow cloud…

"Sweet Mother of Amaterasu…" The small girl looked around her, and caught Jiro's astonished stare. Despite her own shock, she grinned. "I guess this is our ride!" she exclaimed. She held out a hand for the older boy. "Come on Jiro! Hop on!"

The boy blinked at her for a moment, as if unsure whether to accept her hand or not. Sachiko frowned, and stuck out her hand some more. "Come on Jiro! We don't have all day…"

She saw Jiro's mouth curl into a scowl, before he took her hand and tried to climb onto the cloud. _Tried_. His foot went straight through Nimbus, and touched only sand. "What the hell?" Jiro yelled. Letting go of Sachiko, he tried to grab a hold of the cloud, only to have his hands go straight through the yellow mass. "This isn't fair! How come I can't get on?"

"That's because you're not pure," a voice said from behind them. Sachiko and Jiro turned around to see Turtle crawling towards them. "Nimbus only allows those with pure hearts to ride it. If you've been naughty, then you can't ride."

"Naughty?" Sachiko gasped. She turned to Jiro and waggled a finger. "Jiro! What did you do? You shouldn't have been doing bad things! That's…um…bad!"

The older boy sweatdropped. "Oh, shut it," he growled. He floated several feet above the air, and crossed his arms. "Forget the cloud," he snapped. "I'll just fly. It's much better than riding some dumb girly cloud, anyway…"

"Sachi-chan!"

Sachiko and Jiro turned to see Kargo rush out of the house. The Namek stopped in front of the floating Sachiko, and stared. "Whoa…"

"This is Nimbus!" Sachiko said, grinning. "He takes only pure riders! Kargo, you wanna see if you can ride it?"

"Um…maybe next time," Kargo said nervously, before his look turned serious. "Sachi, you're really gonna go with rich boy? I mean…he's so…bleh."

"Come on Kargo," Sachiko pouted. "He's not that bad. Besides, I need to spend some time with Jiro. He seems irritated all the time now, and I think it's my fault somehow…"

"But…" Kargo began, only to freeze when he felt something soft press against his cheek. His mind literally turned to mush as tiny pink lips brushed against his cheek, and all he could do was stare as she pulled back, giving him a very small smile.

"You're my best friend," she said softly. "You don't have to be so worried about me all the time."

"Uh…uh…"

"HEY!" Jiro yelled, his face suddenly completely enraged. "What the hell are you doing, Sachiko? WE HAVE TO GO!"

The small girl pursed her lips in annoyance, before she gave Kargo another smile. "Make sure to guard Hideaki-chan!" she said cheerfully, as the yellow cloud rose until it was on par with Jiro. "Bye Kargo!"

Kargo shook his head, trying to de-liquefy his brain. _Sachiko had…had…_His lips curved into a smile. Life was wonderful! "Don't commit any incestuous taboos while going to Baba's, rich boy!" he sang tauntingly to Jiro. "It's sinful and dishonorable! Plus Sachiko might commit suicide if you do anything worth regretting!"

Jiro's face turned red as fury overcame his normally handsome facial features. "Shut your goddamn freak mouth!" he yelled back. "Your mind is dirtier than the old pervert's!"

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

Piccolo thrashed wildly as he fought to break his restraints. His arms and legs were spread wide, making him unable to blast at his chains, and this also placed him in a position where he felt very, very vulnerable.

"You'll just make yourself tired."

The Namek looked up at the sound of the monotone voice, and snarled when his eyes fell on the mousy woman with thick glasses…that Dr. Rei person. She was sitting in the corner, her hands folded perfectly across her lap, over the hem of her perfectly ironed green dress…

"You stupid woman!" Piccolo yelled. "You can't do this to me! Do you know who I am? I am the guardian of the Earth! Release me at once!"

"I cannot." Dr. Rei said quietly. "That is against my orders."

"What orders? Who in the name of the gods told you to do this to me?"

"Him."

Piccolo groaned exasperatedly. "Who is_ him_?"

"He is _him_." Dr. Rei stood up slowly, almost mechanically, and walked slowly towards Piccolo. She moved closer, closer, closer…she moved until their faces were merely inches apart, and Piccolo leaned his head back and closed his eyes, trying not to breathe in this _woman's_ scent, or even look at this _woman_ up close. He heard Dr. Rei laugh softly, robotically, before she moved away. "You still cry over your loss," Rei said. Piccolo opened his eyes, and stared at the doctor's thick, obscuring glasses.

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"You regret your actions towards them. Towards your son. Towards _her_."

"W-what…"

"You want answers," Dr. Rei murmured. "You wish to know why, and who. It is someone who has always been there, but has never been there. It is someone they do not expect, yet should have expected from the start. They were fools to give their trust so easily…" The woman trailed off.

Piccolo opened his mouth to demand a more thorough explanation, but the woman suddenly slapped him hard across the face. The Namek gasped as his head snapped completely to one side—how did this woman have so much strength? Even Kargo couldn't hit him like this…

"I never liked you much," the woman said, her voice monotone as she raised her hand to strike him again.

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

**Sachiko: Next time, Jiro and I fight the old lady's guards while trying to escape with Master Roshi's box! I wonder why he wants it so badly? Meanwhile, Kargo's training seems to be going well…but wait! What's this? The big mean Ryoushi's back! And…oh no! Piccolo-san! Don't let that creepy Dr. Rei put that on you! NOOOOOO! (Stops, then sighs) You know, at the rate we're going now, it might take longer than eight chapters to finish the story, and then—Kikai-san? **

**Eighteen: (Shows up wearing pink tee-shirt with "I LOVE SACHIKO" written on it) …Hey kiddo. **

**Sachiko: (Gasps at sight of shirt) OH WOW! **

**Eighteen: Yeah, yeah. (Coughs, then looks at chapter above) You kissed the Namek, huh? Oh, the readers are going to KILL you…the Jiro fans, anyway. **

**Sachiko: It was a cheek kiss! My Okaasan and Grandpa always kiss me on the cheek. Can't I do that to Kargo? He's my friend. **

**Eighteen: …no. **

**Sachiko: Oh. I wish someone told me that earlier… **

**Eighteen:(Looks around) Where are your friends and that loud-mouthed Vegeta-clone? **

**Sachiko: TURMOIL-san gave them a break today. Kargo didn't want to go, so our author had to beat him over the head and drag him out…but never mind that! You really DO like me! (Hugs Eighteen) Happy I am! **

**Eighteen: … **

**Audience: Awwww. **

**Random Audience Male: Android Eighteen! I want a hug too! **

**Eighteen: (Sweatdrops) Oh shut up. **

**Sachiko: This is the best apology ever! I forgive you, Kikai-san! I knew you didn't mean it! **

**Eighteen: What? I haven't apolo…I mean, um, yeah. Glad you like it, kid. Now stop hugging me. **

**Sachiko: (Still hugging) Now we can be friends! We can make stuffed turkey, eat strawberries, and hold hands forever and ever! **

**Eighteen: (Pales) Oh GOD. What the heck did I get myself into? Let go kid! LET GO! You're suffocating me! **


	38. The Enemy Makes Their Move

Kargo: Let's see. Our author is writing fanfiction on DBZ. That means she doesn't own anything!

TURMOIL: (Sweatdrops) Oh sure. Make fun of my poverty, why don't cha.

Kargo: Um…question. (Looks around) Where is everyone?

TURMOIL: (Fixes glasses) Just you and me today, Green One. Eighteen and Hideaki aren't regulars here, so they decided not to come today. And, Jiro was upset about the kiss in the last chapter, so he's on strike. He's claiming to never do another "Start Up" or "Wind Down" until I treat everyone more…fairly. (Snorts) As if.

Kargo: (Grins) Alright! Let him stay on strike! Just you, me, and Sachi-chan!

TURMOIL: That reminds me…Jiro convinced Sachiko to join him on strike by bribing her with oodles and oodles of pork buns.

Kargo: …I vow to murder Jiro one day.

TURMOIL: I might consider letting you kill him if he doesn't get his act together. Turkey leg? (Hands Kargo drumstick) It's Thanksgiving, after all. Give thanks, and be happy.

Kargo: …I don't eat. But seriously? I can kill him? (Sparkly eyes)

TURMOIL: (Chews turkey) We'll see. It depends on how much the readers like Jiro. But anyway! My dear readers, this chapter brings back the rarely used Fortuneteller Baba!

Kargo: (Cringes) Ugh. The _ugly _woman.

TURMOIL: Now, since it has been years since I saw the old Dragonball episodes. They're so rarely shown in the US…but anyway, I have very little memory of where Baba actually lives and what her home looks like.

Kargo: Uh-oh. I smell improvisation.

TURMOIL: Give me a break; I started watching the series when I was three! So, for this story, I renovated her home a bit. I mean, it HAS been almost six hundred years. Surely Baba, as a woman, would redecorate? I made Eighteen a rich, hoity-toity business woman, after all. Changing a home wouldn't be too far off.

Kargo: But you kept Roshi's home the same.

TURMOIL: But Roshi's a _guy_. Besides, I don't think he's the type to change his living environment too easily. I mean, through DB, DBZ, and DBGT, I don't think his home has ever changed. I can't say the same for Baba, because she was so rarely shown.

Kargo: True.

TURMOIL: Now, be a good little Green Child and fetch me my stuffin' muffins. I'm still hungry. (Throws away turkey bone)

Kargo: …

**_Chapter Thirty-Eight: The Enemy Makes Their Move _**

"And you're sure you can fix her later, Rei dear?"

"Yes, Tsu."

"Good, good! Carry on then! Carry on, while I deal with our…_lesser_."

"Affirmative." Rei bowed to Tsu respectfully before she slowly, mechanically walked out of the dark room, leaving the elder man alone with one occupant, who was sitting quietly on a metal chair. The occupant's black hair was so long and shaggy that his bangs completely covered the top half of his face, but Tsu knew that underneath the bangs, the sixteen-year-old's eyes were narrowed with hatred.

"You cold, unfeeling ass," the boy hissed, making Tsu's lips curve into a smirk.

"My dear boy," Tsu said smoothly, "you shouldn't talk that way to your elders. Especially the elders that have more than enough power to send you spiraling back into the Sea of Grand Design. But you know all about that, don't you Ke? After all, we are one…we are the same in flesh, and in spirit…"

"Shut up!" Ke yelled, standing up in his seat. "Don't say that! It's a shame for me to even acknowledge that disgusting fact!"

"And _that_ attitude of yours is precisely why I separated our little 'family.' I told you to go do whatever you want, as long as you stayed out of my way. But now look at you." Tsu tapped the top of Ke's head lightly. "You've muddled so far into the game that I might as well have _not_ split us up at all."

Despite himself, Ke found the courage to grin weakly. "Well old man. I told you many, many times—you can't get rid of me, no matter what you do. I might have been a late player in your twisted activities, but you're stuck with me, whether you like it or not."

The old master laughed, making the young boy fume. "Oh you poor, poor _fool_! Have you forgotten that _you're_ the one who got us in this ridiculous predicament in the first place? Rei and I would have been happy with the way things were, but then _you_ came along, and spoiled all of our jolly good fun! Now that we're in the hole, we might as well try to dig back out!"

"Not like this," Ke hissed. "Not to _her_. I won't let you."

Tsu shook his head, and tried to scratch his chin through the head scarf. "Oh, you and your _emotions_," Tsu sighed, though his voice was still eerily cheery. "They'll be the death of us all. Don't you realize that if we fail, we'll all be severely punished?"

Ke snorted, and crossed his arms. "I'm sure you can smooth talk your way out of it. You've always done so before."

"True! Hahahahaha!"

"Tsu."

"Hmm? Hold on…I'm still in the midst of my laughing! Hahahahaha!"

"TSU!" Ke yelled, cutting off the older man. "This is not about us, and you know it!"

"Oh I know!" the old master replied, waving a hand in the air carelessly. "It's about the little 'Dove' you care about so much, that little Sachiko-chan. Well, I can assure you, I'm not going to kill her like _he_ wants."

The young boy's anger melted, and he stared at Tsu in surprise. "Really?"

"No. I won't kill her. But—" Tsu's lips curved as Ke's body visibly tensed "—I won't let this child go. She's caught Rei's eye, my dear boy, and you know Rei. Once she sees an interesting specimen, she just _can't_ forget about it until she knows how it works. Why, at this very moment, she must be going over the data she took from Android Eighteen. That Dr. Gero was a genius, have I told you that?"

Ke's jaw hit the floor. "You can't…"

"And furthermore," Tsu continued, "_I_ find her interesting as well. She's very, very adorable in her innocence…which I'm sure attracted _you_ to her, as well as other things." The old master chuckled to himself, before he leered at the horrified young boy. "Well…I think that keeping her alive would be more _enjoyable_. It would be far too easy to kill her, and besides, destroying the child would end the game. That wouldn't be any fun at all. Of course, that subordinate of mine will probably give me an earful later…you know, that one you _really_ hate? Blith, I think his name was…"

"NO!" Ke rushed at Tsu, and grabbed him by the collar of his expensive gray suit. "NO! Don't you go near her, you sick bastard! You leave Dove alone!"

Another chuckle emerged from the old master's lips, and in a swift movement, he pulled out of Ke's hold and grabbed the younger boy by the neck, squeezing his windpipe painfully as he dangled the teen off the floor with one hand. "Now, now," Tsu chided, like a parent reprimanding his child. "You know better than to try to strike me…I'm the one with the power, remember? Besides, you know that arguing with me is futile. It's like arguing with one's own self, in a manner of speaking…"

Tsu then erupted in a fit of giggles, with earned a bout of kicking and flailing from Ke. "YOU BASTARD!" the younger boy screamed, as he struggled in the old man's grasp. "YOU SON-Of-A-BITCH! I'LL—"

But he never got the chance to finish. Suddenly, a loud scream echoed through the room, a scream that did not come from either Ke or Tsu. It was from another male, and was filled with absolute pain and horror…

"Ah, I see that Rei's moved on to Mr. Piccolo!" Tsu said cheerfully. "She must be having _a lot_ of fun with him...Well, time to go!" The old master dropped Ke to the floor and, humming cheerfully to himself, strolled out the door as the young boy gasped and coughed on the ground.

"W-wait," Ke gasped as Tsu turned to shut the door. "W-where are you going?"

"Why, I'm teleporting back to that little island where your precious Dove is! My Pupil and I still have to pick her up before it's too late! Fare thee well, my boy!"

"NO!" Ke quickly stood up and rushed to the door, only to have it slam in his face. The young boy clawed at the metal as he heard the dismal sound of the lock clicking into place.

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

This…was…so…boring.

Kargo stifled the fifteenth urge to yawn as Roshi and Hideaki sat on the floor across from each other, playing with their still-full coffee cups as their snacks went untouched. It was clear to the Namek what was going on—Hideaki was too grossed out and shocked to actually make conversation with the man she deemed a pervert, and Roshi, dressed in a rather nice-looking brown suit with a matching brown turtle shell, was too nervous to really know what to do without wetting himself.

But then again, that was exactly how Kargo planned it.

He had "bumped into" Roshi before the turtle hermit came downstairs for the date. After watching the old man nearly implode with glee from the sheer thought of going out with Hideaki, Kargo had calmly, quietly told the elderly pervert that Hideaki was not the type of woman who like being molested, grabbed, poked, pinched, or touched in anyway. What really turned her on, the Namek had whispered into the drooling man's ear, was _silence_. Comfortable food and intimate solitude. As long as the old man made no advances, Hideaki would surely fall for him.

And even if Roshi didn't quite fall for that, the pointy fangs Kargo had continuously bared at him gave the hermit a hint of what the Namek really wanted: _Leave Hideaki alone, you horny old toad. _

Sheesh. What a load of work. Especially for a girl that wasn't even his own girlfriend. Jiro would PAY!

"So Hideaki! What d'ya have there?" Roshi asked, his voice joyful, yet tainted with nervousness. Kargo quickly glanced at Hideaki, and saw that she was holding something in her hand. The broken Dragon Radar Vidwatch.

"I'm fixing something important," the young woman muttered, as she pressed a small chip into the insides of the watch. When a small _click_ was heard, Hideaki smiled, and closed the back cover of the Vidwatch.

"What is it?" Roshi persisted. "I'm not too updated on the new technology these days…"

"Well, Mr. Roshi," Hideaki said, her tone oddly polite, "I'm sure you know what the Dragon Radar is, am I right?"

"Of course!"

"Well, this is my version of the old technology—shrunk to watch size for convenience! Tada!" Hideaki stuck out her hand, and placed the Vidwatch onto the coffee table. "It's the Dragon Radar Vidwatch! Not only is it a portable phone and a tracker of the dragonballs, but it also serves as a worldwide map!"

"Really?" Roshi picked up the Vidwatch and turned it over in his hand. As he stared at it, Kargo scooted over to Hideaki.

"What are you doing?" he whispered. "Why are you showing him that?"

"It's a distraction method," Hideaki whispered back. "As long as he keeps focused on other things, I don't have to do disgusting, mushy date-stuff with him!"

"Ah."

"You know, this is very impressive!" Roshi commented. "It's just what Bulma would have done! You look just like Bulma, did you know that?"

Hideaki shrugged. "I dunno. That's what Kikai said too, but I really don't know any Bulma. Maybe she's my ancestor, but if she really was the C.E.O. of Capsule Corporation, then I'd have to check the old archives of the company to confirm that, and that could take weeks…"

"Check if you want, but I'm sure of it," Roshi said confidently. "You look so much like her that you're either a reincarnation or a direct descendant. That means your brother is also the descendant of…oh boy."

"Vegeta," Kargo said gleefully. "That means he and Sachi-chan are both related to Vegeta and Goku, and that means that he can't do anything with her! Teehee!" The Namek looked so delighted that both Hideaki and Roshi backed away slightly.

"You know," Hideaki said, "Jiro says that he only likes Sachiko as a friend…"

Kargo's gleeful face dropped to one of annoyance. "He LIES and you know it," the Namek snapped. "He's in complete denial, right up until he gets a damn jealousy fit. You know that!"

The young woman sighed, and propped her elbows on the table. "That's true…" Suddenly, she looked at Roshi, and smirked. "So, Mr. Roshi!" she said loudly, startling both the old hermit and Kargo. "You're a martial artist, huh?"

"Uh, yes," Roshi replied.

"You know, Kargo here knows some pretty good moves himself," Hideaki pressed on. Giving the old man a flirtatious smile, she said, "I would love to see how you two match up against one another…"

"WHAT?" Kargo roared, while Roshi simply scratched the back of his head and laughed. Kargo glared at Hideaki, before shouting, "I'm not going to fight this old timer! Okay, maybe his power level's better than the other humans we've encountered, but I can kick his ass from here to New Namek!"

"Oh, I wouldn't count on that!" the old hermit chuckled. "My fighting style's changed quite a bit since my time with Goku. It's not all about who has the stronger ki, or who has more brute strength! Believe me Kargo, I would have you on your back in no more than six moves if you were to go up against me."

The Namek's eye twitched at this statement. "Oh really?" he murmured, his former unwillingness to fight Roshi completely forgotten. "You think that you can beat me in six moves? How?"

"Well, I don't want to fight in the middle of my date," Roshi began, but stopped when he saw Hideaki batting her eyes at him.

"It would be really cool," Hideaki cooed as Roshi turned red from top to bottom, "if you and Kargo had a little practice match—"

"Spar," Kargo growled through gritted teeth.

"Right. A spar. It would really spice up the date if you guys fought. I do like a man who can fight." Hideaki winked at the old hermit, effectively giving the elder a nosebleed.

"…WHOO! What are we waiting for? Come on, kid! To the beach!" Roshi grabbed Kargo by the back of his hoodie, and dragged the poor Namek all the way out the door as Kargo kicked, flailed, and screamed that Hideaki owed him for this. The young woman simply giggled, and re-pocketed the fixed Vidwatch.

"Man, I am so smart," she said to herself, before she stood up and proceeded to head outside, where a light drizzle was coming down upon the beach.

There, Kargo and Roshi were already in their respective fighting stances. Roshi had taken off his brown turtle shell, and was smiling confidently at the young Namek, who looked a bit ticked off. "Ready?" the hermit asked coyly.

"Whatever!" Kargo yelled back, and immediately charged towards the old man, swiping at his head with his now grown claws. His hand connected with the old man's head for a second—before it went straight through, blurring the image of Roshi before it faded. An afterimage…

"HYAH!"

Kargo yelped when he felt Roshi grab his left arm and twist it around, and was even more surprised when he felt the old hermit strike his arm and his shoulder with only two fingers.

Poke, poke, dangle.

Kargo felt his arm go numb before the old man released him and jumped out of hitting range before Kargo could figure out what happened. The Namek growled, but stopped when he realized that his left arm was dangling to his side, limp and lifeless. And completely useless.

"That was two strikes," Roshi said, his sunglasses glinting. "Shall I continue?"

_Shit_, Kargo thought, trying and failing to raise his now dead arm. He considered tearing off and regenerating his lost limb, but the truth was that he just wasn't as good at regeneration as his father, Piccolo, was. It took him way too long to grow back a limb, and whenever he did, it took too much out of him.

Crap. He had to go back to basics…

"Come on Kargo!" he heard Hideaki yell. "Don't mess this up, or I'll tell Jiro!"

Ugh. Where was Sachiko when you needed her?

Focusing all of his energy to his remaining arm, Kargo shot a barrage of yellow ki blasts at Roshi, hoping to keep him at bay until he could think of a better plan. At first this seemed to work, for the old man jumped backwards from the blasts…but then the old man tilted his arm and _reflected_ the last blast right back at him.

"Shit!" Kargo yelled as he dived out of the way. As he did, Roshi suddenly ran up to him, and grabbed his right arm. "No!" Kargo yelled, and yanked his arm away from Roshi's grasp, but not before the old man placed two surgical strikes on his right arm.

Poke, poke, dangle.

"That was four!" the old man chirped, jumping out of range once more. "And one of your legs are next, before you're completely helpless! Do you give up?"

"Shut your mouth!" Kargo yelled, his common sense leaving him. He ran towards the old man and kicked at him with his right leg, only to have his kick blocked, his leg grabbed, and…

Poke, poke…_crash_. Face-first right into the damp sand.

"…"

"…"

"…"

"…So. Do you give up?"

"…Shut up, old man."

"…Kargo, you suck!"

"SHUT UP HIDEAKI!"

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

It was raining steadily, but the downpour was the farthest thing in the minds of Sachiko and Jiro.

"Oh wow…"

They were absolutely dumbfounded. The only thing the two could do was to stare motionlessly at the sight before them. It just wasn't believable. It just wasn't possible in their eyes, even though it was just a few hundred feet away from them.

There was no way a castle could be _that_ huge. There was just no way.

"It's the size of a forest, a desert, and a mountain all in one," Sachiko whispered, her voice full of awe. "You could fit every village in the world in that place, and _still_ have room for more…"

Jiro continued to stare bleakly, before he shook his head furiously and crossed his arms. "She's compensating for something," he said in a confident tone. "No one builds something like _that_ unless they have something to prove. She's just trying to show off."

"Oh." Sachiko nodded sagely, before she gave Jiro a curious look. "Um, Jiro? What does 'com-pin-say-ting' mean?"

Jiro gave the small girl an annoyed stare. "Why do you continuously ask for definitions? Don't you have a goddamn dictionary or something?"

"Hmm?" Sachiko gave him a blank stare, which resulted in Jiro slapping a hand to his forehead.

"Never mind. Compensating means to make up for something. She doesn't have something, so she fills up that void by having a lot of something else."

"Oh!" Sachiko's mouth went into an "o" shape as she stared once again at the enormous castle. "That's very interesting…"

"Well, come on. We don't wanna stand in the rain all day, do we?" Jiro paused for a moment, debating heavily with himself.

_Oh boy. Should I? I mean, I can't just let the freak win after that little kiss Sachiko gave him…not that I like her! Our relationship is strictly that of friends, with occasional moments of awkwardness! Ah, hell. _

Before he could change his mind, he took Sachiko's hand and led her towards the giant castle. The small girl stared at him for a moment, stunned, before she smiled and squeezed his hand as she walked a little faster.

Their walk turned into a full run when the rain really began to pour, and by the time they reached the castle, they were full out sprinting as a streak of lighting ripped through the sky.

Sachiko shrieked with fright as an earsplitting _crack_ shot through the air, and Jiro practically pulled her towards the castle gates as she clung to his soaked body. He pounded at the large, thick wooden doors, resisting the _very_ tempting urge to just blast the damn things down. "Hey, you assholes! Open the fucking doors! _Open the fucking doors!_"

There was no answer as another bolt of lighting flashed though the sky. Then, the large doors creaked slightly, before it slowly swung open, revealing a large, black, gargoyle-like creature staring at them apprehensively. "Who dares knock on the doors of the Great Fortuneteller Baba?" the Gargoyle growled. "Who dares show up on in front of her gates…without an appointment?"

"We dare, dickhead," Jiro spat, his sopping black hair pooling all over his face. "Let us in, or we'll both catch pneumonia and DIE!"

"WAH!" Sachiko cried, holding Jiro tightly in fright. "I don't wanna die!"

"Look," the Gargoyle said gruffly, though his eyes softened somewhat with pity, "I can't let you in to see Baba. It's my orders. No one comes in without an appointment…"

_Oh fuck_. This he didn't know. Jiro growled, trying to think of a plan, before an idea came into his head. He looked back up at the Gargoyle, and yelled angrily, "Who the hell cares about an appointment? We're gonna die out here in the rain! We don't care about this Baba person! Just let us in until the rain stops!"

Despite her fear of the thunderstorm, Sachiko looked up at the older boy questioningly, only to have him give her a hard look that said, _just-play-along-stupid_.

Sachiko sniffed, before she pretended to cough. "Cough, cough! I don't feel so good, Mister-Scary-Ugly-Monster-Thing! Cough, cough!"

"If she dies, her death will be on _your_ hands!" Jiro hissed, narrowing his eyes at the now panicked Gargoyle. "I hope the guys in charge of Hell have room for you, you child killer! Come on Sachiko!" Jiro turned around and began to pull Sachiko away from the castle gates. "These guys obviously don't care about our well-being! We'll just go somewhere chilly and damp, and die cold, sick, and alone!"

"W-wait!" The Gargoyle grabbed Jiro by the back of his wet shirt, and pulled him inside the gates, into the courtyard. Jiro secretly smirked. _Gotcha_.

"Y-you kids can at least stay until the rain stops!" the Gargoyle stammered, his voice completely guilt-ridden. "You two can stay in a guest room until you two are all nice and dry, and the storm passes. I mean, there's no harm in that, as long as Mistress Baba doesn't catch us…you kids will be nice and quiet, right?"

Sachiko sniffed, and sneezed prettily as they stepped inside the entrance of the gigantic castle. As Jiro wiped her nose with a wet handkerchief, his lips curved into an evil grin as the Gargoyle walked ahead of them, most likely to lead them to the guest room. Jiro motioned for Sachiko to slow down until the Gargoyle was walking completely in front of them. When the Gargoyle's back was completely turned to them, Jiro quickly prepared a ki blast and threw it straight at the base of the Gargoyle's head, hissing in success when the monster gasped, and collapsed straight to the floor.

He was out cold.

"Jiro!" Sachiko cried, as she knelt down and felt the Gargoyle's pulse. "Why did you do that? We could have asked him where Master Roshi's Box was!" Sachiko stopped, and covered her nose quickly as she sneezed cutely once—twice.

"Bless you," Jiro said, wiping her nose again. He looked the small girl over and frowned. Her long, dark blue hair was out of its braid and gave her the appearance of a drowned water spirit, her skin was too pale, her normally oversize white shirt and green shorts were completely wet, and she was shivering increasingly. "Are you okay, Sachiko? I mean, we are kinda soaked…you're not getting sick, are you?" Jiro looked at his own clothes, and grimaced. His hair gel had been washed away in the rain, and his black hair was now all over his face. His black shirt and jeans were sticking to his body like a second skin, making him look like a male stripper…

"Ac-hoo!" Sachiko sneezed, and sniffed dismally as she rubbed her nose. "I'm okay," she said, trying to smile. "I just need to change. I wish Kargo was here. He could make us some new clothes—Ac-hoo! Oh. I can't smell anything…"

Jiro growled, and grabbed the small girl by the arm, pulling her towards one of the other rooms. "We don't need that freak!" he yelled. "We can do things perfectly well without him! Now, I'm sure that in a gigantic castle, there has to be clothes somewhere! Here!" Jiro went into a room, and quickly spied a large wardrobe. "Perfect! Grab some clothes Sachiko, and let's change before that monster wakes up!"

Sachiko paused, frowning as she sniffled through her red nose. "I dunno Jiro. Isn't this stealing?"

"It's not stealing," Jiro said as he opened the wardrobe. "It's borrowing without asking."

"Oh. Hey, wait a minute…"

"Here." Jiro handed her a black dress that had flowing sleeves, with the skirt portion reaching just below her knees. Sachiko gave him a disapproving stare, but Jiro continued to hold it out. "Give me a break! This was all I could find in there that was your size!"

Sachiko frowned, before she took the black dress away from Jiro. She turned around, and began to lift her shirt over her head…OH CRAP!

"Sachiko!" Jiro yelled, turning around as his face flushed red. "What the hell? Can't you change somewhere _else_?"

Silence. Then, a confused, "…why?"

"Because! I'm a guy, and you're a girl, and even though we're both underage, it's just indecent, okay? Not to mention very UN-platonic! Even though we are platonic friends, and _just_ friends, what you are doing could be seen to some as very UN-platonic, and not in anyway friend-like!"

"…I'm all done anyway. Ac-hoo!"

"Huh?" Jiro turned to see Sachiko already dressed, holding her damp clothing in a small bundle in her hand. She slipped a pair of pink flip-flops, and gave him another frown. "Come on Jiro! We have to change quickly before that Scary-Ugly-Monster-Thing wakes up!"

"Um…right…" Jiro blinked at Sachiko, and the small girl blinked back. Then, Jiro said quietly, "Can I…change in private?"

"Why? It's not like you're gonna get completely nakie."

"…just…because."

"…Okay then." Sachiko turned around, and walked out of the room, sneezing prettily once more before she disappeared out into the hallway. Jiro sighed, before he threw off his shirt and jeans, leaving on his slightly damp boxers. He looked at the long white nightshirt in disgust, dreading the fact that he had to put it on. It looked like a freaking dress! But, it was the only thing large enough for him. Sighing, he slipped it over his head, and grabbed a white pair of flip-flops before joining Sachiko in the castle hallway. "There. Let's go find this Box."

"Ok—oh…" Sachiko stared at him, her golden eyes wide, before her lips curved into a very wide smile. She quickly covered her mouth, but a sound escaped her lips, a sound that sounded suspiciously like a giggle…

"_What_?" Jiro asked, annoyed.

"You—you're wearing—you're wearing a dress! Teeheeheehee! Ac-hoo!"

"…"

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

Fortuneteller Baba lifted her head from her crystal ball, and frowned.

This was most peculiar. She was blocked. She couldn't see the future clearly…but why? In all her years of living, this had never happened before. Never had her visions been so murky, so…shady.

She shook her head. The last premonition she had was but a whisper of a dream. Her fool of a brother had sent two children to retrieve that disgusting Box of his…but surely that could not have been the reason she was blocked now, was it?

Still, no chance in taking a risk. Things had been very strange, as of late. She ordered her most successful guard to do a search around the castle. Then she ordered a maid to clean up after the guard during his search.

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

"You know, you should come out of the closet," Turtle said to Korin who, amazingly, had been in the closet for the last chapter without coming out.

"NO!" Korin cried from within the closet. "That girl might come back! That would be the end of me! Don't you know that she's the reason why I left my Tower, and the Lookout? If she sees me, she'll call me 'Mr. Kitty-Bitties!' and promptly CRUSH me to death with that bear hug of hers!"

Turtle sweatdropped at Korin's hysteria. "But it might be days before she comes back!"

"I can wait! I have enough Senzu beans with me to keep me full for three weeks!"

"…whatever you say."

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

"Your turtle is talking to the closet."

As she checked the Dragon Radar Vidwatch, Hideaki stared worriedly at Turtle, but Roshi waved her off. "Oh, Turtle's okay. Let's just try to fix your friend here. Now, where was the target nerve?"

"YOU SON-OF-A-BITCH!" Kargo screamed, flailing his one working leg at Roshi, who was trying to undo the pressure point damages he had inflicted on Kargo. "Once I get my limbs alive and working again…BAAAH!" Kargo screamed and flinched as thunder boomed through the skies again, and shut his eyes in fright. Roshi clicked his tongue in disapproval, but made no comment about the display of phobia. Instead…

"I told you I'd win in six moves, didn't I?" Roshi asked coyly, trying to find the correct pressure point. He felt Kargo's dead arm for a minute, before he smiled. "Aha! Here it is!" The old hermit struck Kargo's shoulder and arm, and the Namek felt a shock through his limb, before feeling returned to his arm.

_Oh, my precious arm. I missed you SOOOO much! _

Four more strikes, this time to his other arm and leg, gave Kargo full mobility. The Namek jumped up and carefully tested his arms and legs, flexing his muscles slowly, before he punched the air with a fist. "I'm back!" he yelled, before he turned to Roshi with a deadpan look.

WHACK!

The Namek punched the turtle hermit on the back of the head, sending the old man crashing to the floor. Hideaki and Turtle shrieked as the old man, looking slightly dazed, slowly lifted his head out of the large hole that had once been part of the carpeting. "W-what was that for!" Roshi cried, rubbing the large bump on the back of his skull.

"For making me a living rag doll for the better part of thirty minutes!" Kargo screamed, wincing as lightning streaked through the sky outside. "I should kick your asshole for this you…you asshole!"

"Hmph! Why? So that I can disable your limbs again?"

"Those were cheap shots! Cheap shots I'd like to learn, but cheap shots nonetheless!"

"Um, guys?" Hideaki cut in, only to be cut off by Kargo shrieking at another thunderclap. Roshi shook his head, and waggled a finger at the young Namek.

"Your fear of lightning storms is irrational! It will hinder you as a fighter…"

"Oh, SHUT UP! You have no idea what my life was like, you stupid, perverted, loser of an old—"

"GUYS!" Hideaki screamed, cutting off both Kargo and Roshi. She lifted the now fully functional Dragon Radar Vidwatch, and asked very slowly, "Kargo? Can I ask you something?"

"What is it?" Kargo snapped back, his tone full of bitterness.

"We have two dragonballs with us right now. The One Star and the Three Star balls, right?"

"Yeah…"

"Then…how come the Two Star, the Five Star, and the Six Star dragonballs are headed right for us?"

A soft, tenor voice at the doorway made everyone freeze. "That would be because those dragonballs are the ones _we_ found."

Kargo, Hideaki, Roshi, and Turtle all turned towards the doorway. Standing there was an unfamiliar, peculiar man wearing a gray suit and a brown head scarf. Behind this man, in his trademark black trench coat, folding his umbrella, was Ryoushi Ganjou.

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

"This place is fucking HUGE!" Jiro yelled, only to be shushed by Sachiko a second later.

"Jiro! Be quiet! What if more Scary-Ugly-Monster-Things come after us? We need to be super, duper, ultra-mega quiet!"

Jiro snorted, before he whispered, "_Fine_. This place is fucking HUGE."

The small girl sighed, before she stifled another sneeze…and another giggle. Ever since Jiro had put on that dress—err, nightshirt…she found it hard to look at him for long without laughing. Just thinking about him in the dress—err, nightshirt…made her want to laugh.

"What are you smiling about?" Jiro asked, as Sachiko bit her lip to prevent herself from giggling. "It's not about my _outfit_, is it?"

"N…no. Teehee." Sachiko looked away, sniffling and smiling as Jiro blushed and scowled.

"Goddamn it. Where the hell is this goddamn box? Roshi should have told us where that fucking thing is—PHEW!" Jiro suddenly held his nose, and swore loudly. "FUCK! Where the hell is that smell coming from?"

"What smell?" Sachiko asked, sniffling. "I don't smell anything…"

"That's because you're sick!"

"I am not sick! Ac-hoo!"

"See? You're sick!"

"I am not—EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEK!"

Sachiko and Jiro froze when they saw something approaching them at the end of the castle corridor. Jiro covered his nose and gagged, but because Sachiko's nose was stuffy, all she did was stare, dumbfounded, at the huge, hulking mass ahead of them.

It was filthy. It was dirty. And, judging from the way Jiro was completely gagging, it smelled…_smelly_. Sachiko stared at the large, misshapen, disgusting giant man looming in the distance, the man that was currently giving both her and Jiro a very scary grin.

The man that was, oddly, holding a doll in his hand.

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

**Kargo: Next time…well, we're not going to tell you! HA! You're just going to have to review to find out! Hint though. The smelly man at the end of this chapter was inspired by a combination of character from the original DB series, and a character from a creepy horror-survival video game. **

**TURMOIL: Geez, it's been ages since I did both the "Start Up" and "Wind Down" in one chapter. I got used to you guys doing it… **

**Kargo: See? See how much you need us? **

**TURMOIL: Yes, yes I see. I'm going to reconsider scrapping the story. **

**Kargo: YAY! **

**TURMOIL: But that's up to the reviewers. **

**Kargo: Gasp! **

**TURMOIL: Damn Jiro and Sachiko! Well, not Sachiko so much because she's not entirely sane when it comes to food. Damn Jiro for going on strike and taking the food-greedy Sachiko with him! **

**Kargo: By the way…SACHIKO CHANGED IN FRONT OF JIRO! HOW COULD YOU WRITE SOMETHING LIKE THAT? **

**TURMOIL: Hey, you got a kiss. No complaining. **

**Kargo: You can't just jack me around like this! I have feelings! I demand my rights as a fictional character to not be treated this way! **

**TURMOIL: Enough Kargo! **

**Kargo: That's it! I'm striking too! (Gets up and leaves) **

**TURMOIL: …Ah, crap. Oh well. Anyone want to be temporary hosts for the "Start Up" and "Wind Down"? You get to choose any character you want to accompany you, with the exception of Sachiko, Kargo, and Jiro…no? Oh well. Read and review, my dear readers! **


	39. Checkmate

TURMOIL: Hosting for me today because my ungrateful creations are on strike…the super cool **rimera**! Applause, please, while I exit stage right! (Leaves)

Audience: (Chants like crowd from "Jerry Springer") rimera! rimera! rimera! rimera!

Censor Person: HEY! No Jerry Springer stuff, or I'll sick the Bloodthirsty Squirrelly-Squirrel on you!

Bloodthirsty Squirrelly-Squirrel: (Gnashes teeth in warning)

(Audience quiets down in fear)

rimera: (Giddy) Yippie! I get to do the intro!

Baba: Great, so what do you need me here for?

rimera: Aw, come on, Baba! Aren't you excited? You're in a DBZ story! You don't exactly get a lot of press, you know.

Baba: Hmph. Well, it's great that I'm so famous now, but meanwhile those two brats are wandering around my castle, wearing my clothes!

rimera: …Wow. That's actually quite disturbing. (Shrugs it off) Anyway, TURMOIL, who was so totally cool about letting me do this intro, does not own Dragonball Z, although if she did, it would so TOTALLY rock because it would have Sachiko and Bloodthirsty Squirrelly-Squirrel in it!

Bloodthirsty Squirrelly-Squirrel: … (Hungrily eyes the young black-haired, blue-eyed men in audience)

Baba: Right. Well, let's get back to the story, then. I want to keep an eye on those two to make sure they don't do any damage to my beautiful castle!

rimera: Say, did you hear something?

Baba: Oh, ignore it. It's just those brats and their futile protest…

(Outside "Start-Up" room)

Jiro: (Holding a megaphone) WHAT DO WE WANT?

Kargo: (Holding picket sign that says, "TURMOIL UNFAIR") Equal and fair treatment from our author without getting treated like slaves and inanimate objects! Because even though we are fictional characters, we have feelings!

Sachiko: (Holding picket sign that says, "Ditto") Um…yeah. What Kargo said!

Jiro: WHEN DO WE WANT IT?

Sachiko & Kargo: NOW!

**_Chapter Thirty-Nine: Checkmate_**

Jiro knew right away that the thing before them was definitely not normal.

At a size and height larger than an average man, the creature coming towards them looked like a gigantic hunchback who had spent the last several decades living in a toxic waste pit. Everything from balding brown hair, to his bulging black eyes, to his disfigured face, to his hulking, uncoordinated body, was misshapen and crude. It was as if whoever made him had only done the job halfway, and then had decided to abandon the Giant right in the middle of the project.

The appearance wouldn't have been so bad if the thing had been wearing decent attire, but the monster's clothes were absolutely filthy. His shirt was nothing more than a browning, torn-up rag, stained with sauces and grease and gods-knew-what-else. His pants were _vomit_ yellow, and were caked with dirt and old feces. He was barefoot, but it took a while for Jiro to realize this—the monster's feet were so dirty that one could easily mistake the layers of filth for _shoes_.

But the worst thing, the absolute worst thing that far surpassed the Giant's appearance, his clothing, and his overall existence…was his _stench_.

Jiro felt his eyes sting as hot tears clouded his vision. Oh gods, he had never smelled anything so putrid in his life. The Giant smelled like a foul combination of rotten eggs, smelly gym socks, two-year-old towels, laundry that hadn't been washed in ages and had been allowed to sit in the sun for _way_ too long, decomposed food, fungus-ridden garbage…the list was just too long to complete! The stench was absolutely _unbearable_! UNBEARABLE!

He quickly blinked the tears away and turned to Sachiko, his hands still covering his nose. To his amazement, the small girl was just standing there, her eyes wide with terror at the gigantic, odious monster that was shuffling towards them. The older boy couldn't believe it. How could she just be standing there? Didn't she smell anything? Or was her cold (yes, there was no doubt in his mind that Sachiko _was_ sick) so terrible that it was completely blocking off all smells?

There was no time to contemplate about this strange scenario, however. Pausing under a very large, shiny chandelier that illuminated the large corridor, the Giant stood still in front of them, his large, black eyes widening as he looked them over. Jiro felt his head swim at the overpowering stench of the man, and he took a step back.

Mistake.

The Giant turned his full attention towards him, and Jiro blanched. The monster was looking at him with _way_ too much interest, _way_ too much curiosity…oh gods, was that thing _drooling_? The gargantuan man then blinked for a moment, his eyes going from Jiro, to the doll in his hand. Jiro. The doll. Jiro. The doll.

It was then Jiro realized it.

That toy in the Giant's hand…it had tuffs of black hair, blue-button eyes, and was clothed in a white dress. Though it had been purely unintentional, Jiro, with the long white nightshirt he had put on, looked exactly like the little rag doll…right down to the sweet, pretty, blue-button eyes.

"Shit!" Jiro cursed, when the Giant threw away the doll and began to reach for him instead. Quickly forming a ball of blue ki in his hand, he threw it straight at the monster's face, smirking when the blast hit the Giant right on the nose and exploded.

The Giant stumbled back, roaring in pain and shock, but the thing managed to maintain its footing. His misshapen face slightly charred, the monster bellowed out loud and began to swing his massive arms in the air, narrowly missing Sachiko as she shrieked and dodge-rolled away from his hits. The Giant's large, dirty fist slammed into the wall, right where her head had been a split second ago, and both Jiro and Sachiko paled at the size of the crater left behind, backing away as the Giant once again approached them.

"Duh…duh…" The Giant's face contorted horribly as his lips twisted to form words. "Duh…duh…DOLLY!" The monster reached for Jiro again, only to receive another hot ball of blue ki to the face from the now horrified boy.

"Leave me alone!" Jiro yelled as Sachiko ran off to the other side of the corridor, where two levers were positioned. "I am NOT your fucking dolly! Stay the hell away from me!" Jiro ducked as the Giant angrily tried to swing at him and attempted to punch the monster right in the gut, but the Giant merely grabbed his fist. Before Jiro knew what was happening, the Giant had pulled him into a spine-crushing bear hug, the monster's arms wrapped around his waist like a vice, _painfully_ squeezing the life out of him.

"Dolly!" the Giant squealed with joy, as Jiro screamed at the pain around his middle. "Hahaha!"

"S-stop!" Jiro gasped, as he struggled to get out of the Giant's grasp. The stench was hitting him smack in the nostrils, and he felt his head swim again. Gods, he couldn't concentrate on an attack! He couldn't break free! "You retarded fuck! I'm not a fucking toy—AAAAAAAAAGGGGGH!" The teen threw his head back and screamed as he felt his spine bend the _wrong_ way. "OH GODS! HEEEEEEELP!"

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

"Ac-hoo!"

Standing in front of the two ridiculously gigantic levers, Sachiko sniffed back the phlegm as she tried to find a way to use the mechanical devices. Due to her stuffed up nose (even though she was positive that she was _not_ sick) she had been spared of the stench of the Giant, though Jiro was not as lucky. But she had a plan to get the monster off their backs for a little while. She had noticed before that there were ropes tied to these levers, and that the ropes were also connected to the large, monstrously oversized chandelier that the Giant was standing under.

If she could move the levers, the chandelier would fall, and that would stop (though it would most certainly not kill) the Giant. Even though it was only a temporary solution, she and Jiro could be safe for a little while at least, without causing much harm to another!

The levers, however, were rusted beyond belief. It was very, very hard to move them, and the large, scary-looking spider on one of the handles was not helping matters. Sachiko considered breaking them when she heard a blood curling scream.

"AAAAAAAAAGGGGGH! OH GODS! HEEEEEEELP!"

Sachiko whirled around, and nearly screamed herself when she saw Jiro being crushed by the Giant. There was no time to think. Sachiko focused her ki to her hands, and delivered a swift punch to one lever, cracking it while sending the spider scurrying for its life.

_Criiist_.

The chandelier trembled for a moment, dust shaking off of the antique object and falling gently down on the head of the Giant. Sachiko growled and punched again at the lever, this time breaking it completely.

_Criiist! Swoosh!_

The chandelier swiftly fell halfway before coming to a sudden halt, shaking off so much dust that the Giant promptly stopped his brutal assault on Jiro. Dropping the injured boy to the floor, the monster looked up at the shiny object with wide eyes as Sachiko shrieked and threw two _hard_ punches at the last lever.

_Swoosh!_ _CRASH!_

The last of its supports broke, and the chandelier fell heavily on the Giant's head, sending the monster crashing to the floor as dust swirled around him. Sachiko ran into the fray and grabbed Jiro as he weakly crawled out of the crystal mess, grasping his injured waist and groaning. As the Giant moaned on the floor, she helped Jiro up, and began to pull him through the labyrinth-like corridors of the castle, trying to find a place where they could hide and rest.

As they ran away (or in Jiro's case, _limped_ away), a person wearing medieval armor clanked towards the fallen Giant. In one hand was a sword, and in the other…a mop. Dropping the sword, the person lifted the face visor, and revealed that she was also wearing a gas mask under the armor.

"Oh dear," the woman groaned, her voice muffled due to the mask. "It looks like the intruders got the best of you, eh, Fungus? Mistress Baba's not going to like this…"

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

"I like this. I like this very, _very_ much. Oops! Excuse me, my reptilian friend..."

Turtle yelped and dived into the closet as the strange masked man strolled inside the house with Ryoushi following close behind. Hideaki squeaked with fright and hid behind Roshi, whose eyes narrowed from behind his sunglasses as he warily watched the intruders in his home. As for Kargo, he growled and took a fighting stance as the masked man stopped in front of him, peering at him curiously. (At least, Kargo _thought_ the man was peering at him. The brown scarf was covering the man's face so well that the Namek could hardly see the person's eyes.)

"So, _you're_ the little troublemaker!" the masked man exclaimed, his voice oddly cheery. He grabbed Kargo's hand and shook it rather vigorously, causing the Namek to blink in confusion as his arm was pumped up and down. "I am currently known as Tsu," the masked man said happily. "It is an interesting experience to finally meet you face to face, Child-who-is-from-Namek-but-who-strangely-acts-human."

This brought about another round of blinking from the Namekian boy as Tsu released his hand. Kargo turned to Ryoushi, wondering if this was a trick, and was met with the bounty hunter's own exasperated expression. "Just go with it," Ryoushi groaned. "Master Tsu is a bit…how can I put this? _Eccentric_. "

"A bit?" Hideaki repeated, sweatdropping slightly.

"Come now, Pupil!" Tsu laughed, clapping the bounty hunter on the back. "You make me sound as if I'm unbalanced!"

"You mean you're not?" Kargo asked in disbelief. "Seriously…you're _not_ a crazy old loon?" He flinched as thunder echoed outside.

"Ahahaha! You have a sense of humor like my Pupil here, Child-who-is-from-Namek-but-who-strangely-acts-human! Ahahaha!"

"Forgive me for cutting in," Roshi interrupted, his tone deadly serious. (In fact, his tone was so serious that both Kargo and Hideaki had to pause to stare at the old hermit in surprise.)"But who are you two? And why are you here, in my home?"

Tsu stopped laughing and gave the turtle hermit a small smile. For a third time, Kargo found himself blinking in front of this strange, seemingly crazy masked man. Sweet mother of Amaterasu, for reasons he couldn't explain, Tsu's smile seemed very…familiar.

"It was never my intention to get you involved in this mess, Master Roshi," Tsu said, bowing respectfully. "Frankly, I am here for only two people. The Namek—" the old man pointed at Kargo "—and the girl."

"ME?" Hideaki shrieked, clutching onto Roshi in fear and successfully giving the turtle hermit a nosebleed as a result. "What the hell do you want _me_ for? I never did anything to you! I'M TOO YOUNG AND BEAUTIFUL TO DIE!"

"Oh shut up!" Ryoushi snapped, rubbing his temples. "Get over yourself, you little wench! He's looking for that little girl with golden eyes, who has one hell of a headbutt. He has absolutely no interest in you or that trash-talking brother of yours."

"HEY!"

"But anyway," Tsu continued, looking around, "it is indeed the little girl I am looking for. Kindly hand her and the Child-who-is-from-Namek-but-who-strangely-acts-human over to me, and we shall be on our way. Unless…" the elderly man looked around, and frowned. "Unless…she's not here."

Kargo, Hideaki, and Master Roshi froze. Then Kargo shrieked when lightning flashed through the window.

"What do you mean, she's not here?" Ryoushi asked, confused. "They have to be here. Where else could they be?"

"I don't sense her energy here," Tsu muttered, his lips thinning unpleasantly. "Oh dear. This was unexpected…"

"Want me to interrogate one of these fools?" Ryoushi suggested, glaring at Kargo, Roshi, and Hideaki unpleasantly. "I'm an expert at it, as you know."

"Stay away from us!" Kargo yelled, baring his fangs. Ryoushi snorted and crossed his arms, giving the Namek a look that said, _don't even think about it_.

"Just take the boy," Tsu said, sighing. "Do what you want to the other two, but take the boy and go back to Rei. The little girl is bound to come back sooner or later. She wouldn't dare leave her precious Namek by himself…"

Kargo blushed. "P-precious? I-I don't know about precious..."

"I advise you to leave these youngsters alone," Roshi said, stepping between Tsu and Kargo. "If you want them, you'll have to go through me."

"You?" Ryoushi said in disbelief. "Are you kidding me, old man? I'd kill you with one hit. Not even one hit. I'd kill you in half a hit."

Roshi's sunglasses glinted. "Let's see it, then," the turtle hermit said, assuming a fighting stance. "You say you can kill me in half a hit? I'd like to see you try, sonny."

The bounty hunter growled, and took a step forward, only to be blocked by Tsu. "Temper, temper," the old master said to Ryoushi. "I know you still have a hard time feeling other people's energies, but this man actually _can_ hurt you. I suggest you sit back and observe."

Ryoushi's mouth dropped slightly. "But Master Tsu—"

"I said _observe_, Pupil," Tsu said sternly, and Ryoushi backed off. Slightly. The elderly man then smiled, and turned to Roshi, who was waiting patiently. The old men studied each other for a moment, before Tsu laughed, and mirrored Roshi's stance. "This will be most entertaining," Tsu said cheerfully.

"It most certainly will be," Roshi agreed, though his voice was not nearly as cheerful as Tsu's. "You must tell me, if you decide not to kill me, how you mask your energy like that. I can barely feel it, but I can tell that you're no ordinary man…"

Tsu's smile faded slightly, before his lips thinned. "You're not so ordinary yourself," he muttered. Then, he attacked.

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

The castle library was enormous.

Rows upon rows of books were piled high towards the ceiling, all stacked on shelves made of polished cherry wood. The texts were written in languages unknown, in scripts too fancy for many to read, all dating back to times that were simply too unfathomable for some to imagine.

But the books, though fascinating, were the last things on the minds of two youths as they shifted through the quiet darkness of the archives. For a long time, there was no sound, and only the tiniest of movements. Then, a shrill yell pierced through the thick silence.

"JIRO! Stop being so stubborn! I know what I'm doing, I've done this before!"

There was rustling of clothes, before a young male voice angrily snapped, "Bullshit! You've only done it once!"

"Once is more than enough! Now take off your clothes. Ac-hoo!"

Silence.

"Hey Jiro, your face is all red…"

"N-no it's not! And I won't take it off!"

"Gosh fudge it! Take it off, _now_!"

"N-no! Hey! Get away from me! ACK!"

Jiro yelped as Sachiko tackled him to the ground and yanked his dress—err, _nightshirt_, above his waist. "What the hell do you think you're doing?" Jiro shrieked. "Get off me! Get—mmph!"

Sachiko clamped a small hand over the older boy's mouth, and looked around the dark library nervously before she turned back to Jiro. "Ssssssssh!" she whispered, putting a finger to her lips. "We can't make too much noise, remember? You want more monsters to come after us? Ac-hoo!"

The older boy snorted, before he shoved her hand away from his mouth. "You're the one who was fucking screaming ten seconds ago," he hissed back. "And for the last time…I am not taking off my _clothes_! I am FINE!"

"Then what's _this_?" Sachiko cried, before she yanked the nightshirt higher, revealing Jiro's dark, heavily bruised waist. She gently touched the wound, and frowned when the older boy shrieked with pain. "See? You're not fine. Now sit still and let me heal you! Don't be such a baby!"

"I am not a baby!" Jiro yelled, before he bit down hard on his lip as Sachiko touched his bruise again with a glowing blue hand. The older boy fought the urge to cry out and instead stared hard at the girl in front of him, who was breathing in and out rhythmically through her stuffy nose and mouth as she rubbed his wound. Jiro winced as her small hands moved from his stomach and circled his waist, sending shivers up his spine as her warm fingers touched the small of his back.

"Feel a little better?" Sachiko asked. Jiro couldn't respond—he was enjoying his treatment a little too much.

She was almost hugging him now, the older boy realized with a faint blush. The pain lessening significantly, he smiled and gave Sachiko a rare soft look. However, she was currently occupied with a particular bruise on his lower back, and missed his tender gaze completely.

_Ah, fuck. _With his luck, she probably didn't realize the awkwardness of their physical position. He sighed as Sachiko suddenly pulled away, sneezed prettily twice, and wiped her nose with her sleeve before she excused herself. As she turned to him with an embarrassed smile, he found himself thinking that her behavior was rather cute…in an annoying sense of the term.

They weren't related. They couldn't be. It wasn't that he liked her or anything, though he had been feeling very, very off center around the girl recently. He just hoped that they weren't related. That was a harmless, platonic wish, wasn't it? _Wasn't it?_

"Oh wow," Sachiko whispered, as she slowly crawled to a lower shelf. Jiro watched as she shifted through some old books, and his brow rose slightly when she took out a small, plastic square case. "Jiro, what's this thing-a-ma-jiggie?" she asked curiously, blowing some dust off of the case. Jiro took the object from her and looked it over.

"It's a compact disk," Jiro said, opening the case. "This is really, _really_ old technology. No one uses the CDs and DVDs anymore, now that we have Vidwatches and Wireless Entertainment Services. Music, movies, and other stuff can be accessed through any of Capsule Corporation's technology."

"…oh." Sachiko nodded, before she bit her lip. "Um, could you repeat the stuff? You know…about…the stuff?"

"…Sachiko."

"Yes, Jiro?"

"Just…forget about it."

"Oh. Okay, Jiro!"

Sachiko smiled, oblivious to the older boy's deadpan look. Instead, she crawled back to the shelf, and rummaged around some more, this time pulling out a small metal box that rattled loudly when she shook it. "I wonder what's in this box?" she said loudly. "This is a library. There shouldn't be any boxes here. Boy, who would be silly enough to leave a box in a library? Whoever's in charge of this box sure made a big mistake."

Jiro, annoyed with how many times the small girl said the word "box", turned to snap at her, when he spied some writing on the side of the metal box. His eyes widened as he read the words. "Sachiko…"

"Oh well. I guess I shouldn't worry my head over it." Sachiko said, not realizing that Jiro spoke.

"Sachiko!"

"I'll just put the box back then…"

"SACHIKO!" Jiro bellowed, and snatched the metal box away from her. "You fool! This is Roshi's Box! The Box we've been after!"

"It is?" Sachiko cried. "How do you know?"

"It said, 'Roshi's Secret Box, Do Not Touch!' on the side in big red letters," Jiro said flatly, pointing to where the writing was. Sachiko flipped the box to the side, and her eyes brightened.

"OH! I guess I missed that!" she said cheerfully. Jiro sweatdropped.

"Sachiko—" he began, then froze.

_Thump. Thump. Thump._

Both Sachiko and Jiro fell silent, and crouched low to the ground, hiding in the cover of darkness, silence, and several hundred rows of old books and compact disks. With one arm holding the Box and the other clutching onto Jiro, Sachiko held the older boy tightly in fear as she tried her best not to sniff loudly. Jiro, on the other hand, gritted his teeth as the familiar stench of the Giant reached his nostrils.

Goddamn it! He wanted to fight this thing. He hated running! But the stench was too much of an issue. He couldn't concentrate as long as he could smell that…whatever it was!

The sound of heavy footsteps grew louder. Jiro peeked though a few books, and nearly screamed when he saw that the Giant was only a few bookcases away, sniffing the air loudly as the monster twisted his head in all directions.

Fuck! Was it trying to sniff them out?

Four bookcases away…three…now two…Jiro bit his lip, trying to think of something quick. The Giant was now directly opposite of the bookcase they were hiding behind…and the idea came. Jiro stood up quickly, and pulled Sachiko to her feet. "PUSH!" Jiro yelled, and rammed his shoulder against the bookcase with all his might. Sachiko immediately understood, and charged into the bookcase with a loud cry.

They heard the Giant holler from the other side, but it was too late. The bookcase tilted over, sending hundred of books crashing to the ground as it slammed fully onto the monster, trapping him under hundreds of pounds of wood, dried ink, and wood pulp.

As Sachiko and Jiro slowly walked around the gigantic bookcase, the small girl hoped that the Giant was still alive and that it wouldn't bother them anymore, while Jiro hoped that the thing was dead and _definitely_ wouldn't bother them anymore.

They waited.

Then, the bookcase began to shake angrily, and a loud roar came from under the massive piles of books. Sachiko screamed in fright and ran out of the library as fast as her legs could carry her, dragging the stunned Jiro behind her as the Giant burst through the books, looking absolutely enraged.

"I hate this place!" Sachiko cried as they rounded a corner and burst through a door. They found themselves in a bathroom, the shiny white tiles seemingly out of place after seeing nothing but stony castle walls for the better part of…of…

How long had they been here?

The Giant's footsteps pounded angrily behind them, and Sachiko quickly closed the bathroom door behind them, locking it. "Plan!" Sachiko said, her voice in an absolute panic. "We need a plan! Ac-hoo!"

"Um, um…" Jiro looked around the large bathroom, and spied several soaps and shampoos in the corner. He then saw a bathtub the size of a swimming pool, conveniently filled with hot, bubbly water, and grinned.

"What are you smiling about?" Sachiko cried, tears coming to her eyes at the thought of having to face the Giant again.

"Sachiko! I want you to grab the shampoos and soaps. I'm going to try to lure the monster into the bathtub, and when I give the signal, you pour all the shampoos onto that thing!"

"What? But why?"

"Isn't it obvious? Just do it!"

"But—"

"DOLLY!" the Giant screamed from behind the door. Both Sachiko and Jiro paled when they heard—and saw—the wood of the door splinter from the Giant's hits. "DOOOOOOOOOLLY!"

"Oh gods," Sachiko moaned, setting the Box down as she ran to the corner to grab the shampoos. Jiro grabbed a bar of soap, and stood close to the tub as the Giant finally broke his way through the door, panting as his hulking mass slowly moved into the white, shiny room.

Jiro's eye twitched at the smell, but he forced himself to bear with it, even though his nose hairs were being burned off. "Hey UGLY!" the teen yelled, waving his hands in the air. The Giant turned to him, and gave him a big, drooling smile. Jiro almost threw up, but he still found the will to smirk. "That's right, asshole! You want me? You want some of this?" He stuck out his chest, as the Giant slowly approached him. Jiro waited until the Giant was slowly reaching out for him, before he yelled, "Well you better come and get me, you fucker!"

With that, Jiro grabbed the Giant's arm and pulled back with all his might, feeling his body fall backwards into the water as he pulled the Giant along with him. He twisted his body out of the way so as to not get crushed by the Giant's form, and immediately stood up in the tub of increasingly dirty water, shoving the bar of soap into the mouth of the shrieking Giant. "Sachiko! NOW!"

The small girl let out a shrill cry as she jumped on top of the monster and began pouring shampoo all over the Giant's head. She wrapped her legs around the Giant's neck, hung on as she dumped all of the contents of the bottles onto his cranium, and began to scrub him vigorously. "Take that, you stinky, smelly, friend-crusher!" Sachiko yelled, as the Giant began to bawl like a baby. "You son of an onion! You mean fudge monkey! TAKE THAT! AND THAT!"

Jiro sweatdropped as Sachiko began to wash the monster into submission. "Why are all of her curses food related?" he said to nobody in particular.

"WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?"

Sachiko, Jiro, and even the Giant turned around to see a very small midget woman with pink hair standing at the entrance to the bathroom. Wearing a witch's hat and a black dress very much like Sachiko's, the woman sat on a floating crystal ball, her ancient, shriveled face aghast with shock and surprise.

"Um…um…" Sachiko blinked, before she dropped the empty bottles of shampoo into the now dirty bathwater. "Um…we were…having a bath?"

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

Roshi blocked Tsu's kick and grabbed his leg, attempting to disable it. However, Tsu quickly twisted his other leg around, and kicked Roshi in the temple before the fingers could strike his pressure points. In his shock and pain, Roshi released Tsu's leg, letting the man fall to the ground. As he fell, Tsu stuck his hands out and used both legs to strike Roshi again in the head, this time sending the turtle hermit reeling backwards on the sofa.

"Shit!" Kargo yelled, and ran to help the old man, only to be grabbed by the back of his hoodie. Kargo twisted his head around, and hissed when he saw that it was Ryoushi. "You bastard! Let go of me!"

"Nah uh," Ryoushi scolded, wagging a finger in front of Kargo's face. "Naughty boy. You don't interrupt other people's fights. That's not honorable…"

"I'll show you honorable!" Kargo yelled, and stamped hard on Ryoushi's foot. The bounty hunter shrieked in pain and released his hoodie, allowing the Namek to turn around and punch the man hard in the gut. "That was for Shigaisen, you asshole!" He winced as he heard booming from outside.

"Oh man!' Hideaki whimpered, hiding behind the stairwell as she watched both sets of fights. "This is awful! What am I going to do? WHAT AM I GOING TO DO?"

"Hyah!" Roshi stuck out at Tsu's pressure points again and again, only to have the old master dodge his attacks artfully, almost as if he was dancing. "Dang—it!" Roshi panted, as Tsu bent backwards to avoid a strike to the chest. "Are you sure—you're old?"

"It's debatable!" Tsu laughed, grabbing Roshi's arm and flipping him over onto his back. Roshi grunted as he landed, but he kept his hold onto Tsu's hand and flipped the old master over with him. As Tsu tried to get up, Roshi stuck two spots on Tsu's neck, and in seconds, the masked elder began to gasp and choke.

This distracted Ryoushi enough for Kargo to send his knee sailing into the bounty hunter's groin, and the Namek grinned rather evilly as the hunter fell straight to the floor, squeaking with pain as he clutched at his…_personal_ dragonballs.

Haha! Even the storm outside couldn't break his mood now!

Meanwhile, Tsu was turning purple on the floor. "I've just cut off the flow to your brain," Roshi said, panting slightly. "Unless you agree to leave my home and leave these kids alone, you _will_ die."

Tsu choked, and his head was beginning to twist wildly. His head turned faster, faster, faster…there were disturbing cracking noises coming from the neck…suddenly, there were two loud, stomach turning cracks, and Tsu began to breathe loudly, inhaling deeply as he sat up, massaging his neck. "Good lord!" he muttered. "That was a close one…"

"I-impossible!" Roshi stammered, his eyes bulging. "N-no one can undo the Brain Block! I-it's just not possible!"

Tsu grinned, and before anyone could blink, he grabbed Roshi's head and headbutted the turtle hermit so fiercely that Kargo actually heard something break. As Hideaki screamed from the stairwell, Roshi's eyes glazed over, and he fell limp to the floor. He didn't move.

"Roshi!" the Namek screamed, and rushed forward to face Tsu when he felt someone tap his shoulder from behind. He turned around, and found himself face to face with an enraged Ryoushi.

_Uh oh…_

"Round two," Ryoushi growled, cracking his knuckles. Kargo bit his lip, before he stuck out two fingers at Ryoushi's shoulder. He waited for a reaction...and got absolutely none when Ryoushi managed to cross both arms. "What the hell are you doing, Greenbean?" the bounty hunter asked.

"Um…HYAH!" Kargo struck his fingers at Ryoushi's neck, half hoping to see the hunter fall to the ground, gasping…and again, got nothing. "Ah, shit. I'm in trouble, aren't I?"

"…Oh, _yeah_. More trouble than you think."

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

"So, _you're_ the ones my brother sent," Baba muttered pouring herself some tea. "I knew that he would send someone for that disgusting Box of his. I didn't think he would send children though. Especially children who could beat my best guard."

"Best guard?" Jiro said in disbelief. "If that was your _best_ guard, then I can't imagine what the fuck the _worst _guard is like." Now back in his own clothes, he picked some laundry fluff off of his black shirt as Sachiko ran a hand through his soft, still gel-less hair. "Stop that," he told her, trying not to blush.

"But it's so SOFT!" she crooned, patting his hair until it was flat. She too, was back in her white shirt and green shorts, and she had finally stopped sniffling. "You should keep your hair down more often. You look so nice now."

"Ahem?" Baba cut in, her eyes narrowing. Sachiko stepped away from Jiro, who tried to keep his body temperature regulated. _Stay calm, stay calm, stay calm, stay calm… _"I should sue you two," Baba continued, her wrinkled face becoming even more wrinkled due to her displeasure. "You've destroyed a considerable amount of property, beat up two of my guards, wore my clothes—"

"I never would have touched them if I knew they belonged to_ you_," Jiro snapped in disgust.

"—_and_ wasted all of my anti-aging soaps and shampoos on Fungus, who is most likely scarred for life!" Baba finished, glaring at Jiro in dislike.

Jiro's eye twitched, as Sachiko tilted her head curiously. "What's anti-aging shampoo?" the small girl asked curiously.

"Something that's not working for this bitch," Jiro muttered. Baba narrowed her eyes and promptly threw her empty teacup at Jiro's head, scowling as the boy grabbed the cup in midair and set it patiently down on the coffee table.

"We're sorry about all the stuff we broke," Sachiko apologized.

"We are?" Jiro said.

"Shush, Jiro! But anyway, Baba-san, if Fungus didn't try to kill Jiro, none of this would have happened! We were defending ourselves!"

"Hn." Baba frowned at Sachiko, who responded with a small pout. The fortuneteller then sighed, before she grabbed another cup and poured herself more tea. "It doesn't matter. It's been a terrible time for me. I haven't been able to see the future clearly at all. I've been completely blocked for months. It's been very bad for business, and I've been on a short fuse for days. I haven't been able to speak to Lord Emma or any of the spirits at all…"

"Lord Emma?" Sachiko scratched her head, before her eyes widened. "Oh! The big, scary looking red ogre who decides whether the little soul cloud-thingies go to Heaven or Hell!"

"Yes," Baba admitted, surprised. "How did you know that?"

Sachiko grinned. "I've seen him when I went to see Dende-sama, and ended up meeting Goku-san!"

"Goku?" Baba's eyes widened. "You've met Goku? How? You're not dead!"

"Oh I know!" Sachiko replied, still grinning. "It's a long story, but to cut it short, he's my great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great—"

"Can you speed it up, Sachiko?" Jiro groaned.

"Sorry. Anyway, he's my ancestor!"

"Ancestor?" Baba repeated, not believing her ears. Sachiko unwrapped her tail from around her waist, and showed the brown appendage to the fortuneteller, who stared at it with wide eyes. "B-but it's not possible," she whispered.

"Well, we'd better go!" Sachiko said cheerfully, not catching Baba's whispers. She took the bored Jiro by the arm and pulled him towards the castle exit. "Well, sorry for hurting your castle and guards, Baba-san. I promise, after the dragonball hunt is over, I'll come back and make it up to you! I'll even give Fungus another bath!"

"Oh no you don't!" Jiro yelled, glaring at the small girl. "I'm not going near that smelly shitbag! I'll just pay someone to fix the castle, and that's it!"

"But Jiro…"

"No more, Sachiko!"

"Wait!" Baba yelled, but Sachiko and Jiro had already taken their arguments to the skies. The fortuneteller watched them go, and bit her lip anxiously.

This was not good. There was apparently more going on than she realized…

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

Kargo cried out in pain as he sailed through the window, rain and broken glass showering over his body as he landed hard on the wet sands of the beach. He groaned as he clutched at his sides—Ryoushi had punched him rather hard in his spleen…

He saw a flash of lightning in the sky above, and he screamed as he curled up into the fetal position. Gods, not now! Why now? This wasn't fair!

"Look at him," he heard the bounty hunter sneer. "He's like a defenseless little baby. Should I beat him some more, or leave him there until he snaps?"

"Hmm. Both sound amusing. Let me check him first."

Kargo couldn't say a thing. He just curled up even tighter and whimpered as he heard the thunder roar in the sky above, even when he felt Tsu nudge him with his expensive black shoes. As he lay there, he heard voices. Old, familiar voices from a distant memory.

_Kargo..._

**No…I can't…**

_It's your duty as a guardian! You must!_

**Leave me alone!**

_Stubborn child!_

**LEAVE ME ALONE!**

"Leave him alone!" he heard Hideaki scream, and he lifted his head slightly. He caught a glimpse of Hideaki as she jumped onto Ryoushi's back, squeezing the hunter hard around the neck. Kargo's eyes widened when he saw Hideaki bite Ryoushi's ear, and they widened even more when the hunter threw Hideaki off of his back, and slammed her hard against the wall of the house, creating yet another hole.

"H-hideaki…" Kargo whispered, and tried to get up, but froze halfway.

Standing several feet away from him, Tsu's hands were glowing a bright whitish-blue, with sparks of electricity coming off of them. His hands were moving in a rhythmic, flowing fashion…his left arm began to glow at an abnormal rate, and his entire limb seemed to become…

Lightning.

"Take this!" Tsu yelled, and shot his electrified arm towards Kargo. The Namek completely froze. His legs seemed to become stone…he couldn't move…

And then he screamed.

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

"I'm glad the storm's finally over!" Sachiko exclaimed as she sat on Nimbus, flying quickly over the ocean. A full smile stretched across her lips as she shook the Box. "So Jiro! What'cha think is in here? Gold? Magical talismans that give lotsa power? Cookies?"

As he held tightly onto Sachiko so that he didn't fall off the cloud, Jiro snorted, and bopped Sachiko lightly on the head. "Why the hell would cookies be in there? That's just stupid."

"It is not! And anyway, I was just guessing." Sachiko shook the box some more before, unexpectedly, the top of the box flew open, and a small, square plastic case sailed out from inside. Sachiko yelped and grabbed the case quickly with one arm, but accidentally let go of the box, which ended up falling towards the ocean below, disappearing into the watery depths with a quiet _splash_.

Silence.

"…Nice going," Jiro muttered, poking Sachiko's head with one finger.

"…at least I saved the disk," Sachiko said quietly, as she looked the object over. She blinked for a moment, before she shrieked, and shoved the case into one of Jiro's hands. "EEEEEEEEEEEEK! It has a picture of nakie men and women! NAKIE! NAKIE, NAKIE, NAKIE, NAKIE, NAKIE!"

"WHAT?" With one arm still wrapped around Sachiko's waist, Jiro stared at the case with wide eyes. "Spicy…Sluts…Sixteen? SPICY SLUTS SIXTEEN? HOLY SHIT!"

"What is it? It's bad, isn't it?"

"Jiro? You okay?"

"…do you know what porn is, Sachiko?"

Sachiko cocked her head to the side. "Porn? What's that?"

"…it's nothing you have to worry about," Jiro said quietly, slipping the case into his pocket. "Never you mind."

"Okay…Oh! There's Master Roshi's house! W-wait a minute…"

Sachiko stopped Nimbus, and stared at the small house before her. Something had happened here. The house was completely ruined. The beach was filled with small craters, and there was a spot with scorch marks and…_was that purple blood_?

"What the fuck happened here?" Jiro cried, tilting his head to the side to see the beach. "Where the hell is Hideaki and the freak?"

"I don't know," Sachiko whispered. "Let's see what happened."

Nimbus shot towards the beach, stopping just a foot above the sand. Sachiko and Jiro hopped off and ran into the ruined house, half expecting their friends to be okay, and that the wreckage before them was just the result of a freak accident…

"HEY!" Jiro yelled suddenly. Sachiko turned around, and gasped when she saw Ryoushi holding a struggling Jiro, pinning the teen's arms pinned behind his back with one hand while covering Jiro's mouth with the other. Sachiko growled, and took a step forward when the bounty hunter gave her a dark smirk, and jerked his head over to the side.

Sachiko had no idea what he was doing, and pressed on towards him anyway, until she felt a familiar hand on her shoulder. She whirled around, her fists raised and ready…when her jaw hit the floor. "Ke?" she whispered. "What are you…what are you doing here?"

The sixteen-year-old's lips thinned, and she saw his mouth form the words, "I'm sorry."

She felt something prick her in the back of the neck. Her vision became blurry. Her body swooned, and she fell forward as Ke caught her. Then, everything slowly became black.

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

**rimera: Wow, that was a great chapter!**

**Baba: (Frowns) What do you mean? You haven't even read it yet!**

**rimera: (Gasps in insult) Of _course_ I have!**

**Baba: How? You wrote this "Wind-Down" and sent it to TURMOIL before she even submitted the chapter!**

**rimera: …So? (Shifty eyes)**

**Baba: Are you saying you can see the future? You haven't been sneaking peeks ****into my crystal ball have you? (Glares accusingly)**

**rimera: …Okay, fine, I haven't read it! There! Are you happy? You just destroyed the reader's sense of continuity!**

**Random audience member: Yeah! You destroyed our continuous…thingies. Yeah!**

**Baba: (Snorts) Well, you don't have to be so dramatic about it! Alright! You can look into the ball to see the chapter!**

**rimera: Yippee! Oh... Oh!... ahh... Ack! I've gotta see what happens next!**

**Baba: …PROPERTY DAMAGE! PROPETY DAMAGE!**


	40. Something That Shouldn't Exist

TURMOIL: Ugh. I own nothing. You happy, all you lawyers out there? I OWN NOTHING!

Eighteen: For the love of god, I do NOT like coming here. Why do you keep asking me to show up?

TURMOIL: (Evil, fiendish grin) I wanted piss you off. It's amusing to me. And also…you're back in the story. More screen time for you and the strangely popular Sachiko-chan. Rejoice.

Eighteen: …

TURMOIL: (Sweatdrops) Or…don't rejoice. Just sit there, and glare at me. With that strangely evil glint in your eye. While holding a very sharp, pointy object…EEP! Hey, don't get any ideas about hurting me! You kill me, and say goodbye to this story and all its occupants!

Eighteen: (Seethes, and throws away pointy object) Whatever! Well, what about _Hideaki_? You couldn't have asked Hideaki to come because…?

TURMOIL: (Sighs in relief about not being killed) Well, you're more fun to use. Besides, the readers seem to like you more. Especially the males.

Male Audience Members: WOOT! WOOT! WOOT! WOOT!

Eighteen: So I'm just a crowd pleaser to you? IS THAT ALL I AM?

TURMOIL: Pretty much, yeah.

Random Male Audience Member: WE LOVE YOU, EIGHTEEN!

Eighteen: …

TURMOIL: Anyhoo, this chapter is sorta…bad. More explanatory than action-ish. It's more thought provoking than anything else. Kinda.

Eighteen: Oh gods. This story is going to last forever.

TURMOIL: Not true! I'm planning on ending this before or by chapter fifty!

Eighteen: …where the hell is that pointy object?

(Outside "Start-Up" room)

Jiro: Do you really think this hunger-slash-thirst-strike will work, freak?

Kargo: Absolutely. We can't survive long without food or water, and TURMOIL would never be crazy enough to let us die. She'll cave in long before we do.

Jiro: Oh really? (Points at Sachiko)

Kargo: Huh? (Turns to Sachiko, then pales) EEP!

Sachiko: (Skeletal) …so…so…_hungry_. (Chews own arm in starvation)

Kargo: ACK! Don't eat your own limbs, Sachiko!

Sachiko: (Becomes even more skeletal) But I'm so…so…_hungry_…

Kargo: Goddamn it! It's only been half an hour since we started the hunger-slash-thirst-strike! Have some restraint!

**_Chapter Forty: Something That Shouldn't Exist_**

As she sat on her crystal ball, Baba floated quietly above the red carpeting, staying out of the way as the ogres ran in every direction. Each and every one of them seemed to be panicked, but the most panicked one of all was the gigantic, burly-looking red ogre sitting behind the equally gigantic desk in the middle of the room. He was constantly shuffling thorough papers, checking through drawers and, every now and then, looking over his shoulder, as if he was afraid something was going to sneak up on him.

The fortuneteller waited five minutes for the commotion to die down. Then she waited another five. Then another two. After waiting a total of thirty-seven minutes, it was apparent that things were not going to settle down, and she finally lost all patience.

Baba floating towards the red ogre, shoving aside many young workers along the way. She glided all the way to the top of the enormous desk, flew next to Emma's coffee mug, and took a deep breath. Then, she yelled, "LORD EMMA! HOW GOOD TO SEE YOU AGAIN AFTER ALL THESE CENTURIES!"

"EAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGH!" Lord Emma screamed in terror at the sound of her voice and snapped his head up towards her, his eyes wide with fear…before he sighed with relief at seeing that it was only her. He turned his gaze back to his desk, and opened a very large, thick red book.

Baba sweatdropped slightly at having been shoved aside, and coughed twice to regain the overseer's attention. "Lord Emma, if you please…or else I'll scream again…"

"No, don't scream!" the large ogre yelped. "It's just—just—oh, forgive me for my rudeness," he apologized. Emma then sighed, and set the red Book of Existence aside. "I don't mean to be rude Baba, but things have been a bit hectic around here lately. First of all, there seems to be a few pages worth of names missing from this book…and I don't know how that could have happened! Oh, if Mother Izumi finds out, she'll have my head! She's been getting so involved in work lately…"

"How did you lose them?" Baba asked, her voice flat and mundane as she floated on top of a large stack of papers. "Did someone rip them out while you were on your coffee break?"

"Oh, haha. Very funny. No, no one ripped them out. There are no tear marks, but I'm _positive_ the pages were there a few weeks ago. Last time, there were three additional pages worth of names, and now the book is three pages shorter!"

Baba looked at the Book of Existence, and frowned. The thing looked completely unscathed. "Are you sure some pages are missing?"

"Of course I'm sure!" Lord Emma yelled. "Why do you think I have all my men searching the place for them?"

_Maybe because you've finally gone insane,_ Baba thought sarcastically, but she brushed off the thought, and gave the red ogre a hard stare. "Leave off the search for a minute. I need to speak to you."

"I can't right now," Emma replied gruffly, opening another drawer. "Do you think the missing pages are my only problem? There are so many things happening at once that I don't know whether I'm coming or going! Please don't add to my plate of worries, Baba. I have enough to do at the moment."

Baba raised a brow. "What do you mean? Fill me in on all the details, for I do so enjoy your briefings."

The red ogre sighed, and massaged his temples. "For heaven's sake Baba, must we do this now?"

"Yes, now! I don't know if you've realized this, but there's some strange phenomenon going on right now on Earth. It's not a foreign, evil entity like Cell or Buu or Baby," Baba added quickly, seeing Emma's shocked expression. "However, this is strange nonetheless. I haven't been able to see any clear visions lately. It's like I'm being blocked. Furthermore, I can't quite understand this, but the Dragonballs have been resurrected, and I've met a very strange child… a child with a tail. I must see Goku immediately."

"Goku?" Lord Emma's beard bristled slightly, before a frown came over his features. "Ah. That child you're speaking of…you must have met his descendant, Sachiko."

"Y-you know her?" Baba gasped.

"Who here DOESN'T know about that child and her troublemaking friends? They've destroyed one of my planes, and impersonated one of my men just to see Dende! They must have broken all the rules that separate the living and the dead! I'm just glad that Izumi wasn't upset by it…"

_That situation sounds oddly familiar, _Baba thought dryly, before she continued. "So. The child has contacted Goku after all?"

"Yes. They've spoken, they've trained a bit together, and now the poor man's a bit fixated on her. He seems to think that she's the one who will carry on his legacy, or something to that nature. He wants to keep an eye on her—"

"That sounds like the Goku I know," Baba said, sighing. "Always keeping an eye on new talent."

"—but that's been very hard to do lately."

"What?" Baba stared at Emma in shock. "Why?"

"To begin, all of the televisions in HFIL are broken, and no matter how many times they're fixed, someone just keeps breaking them again! At first I thought it was Cell, or maybe Frieza, but my men assured me that there hasn't been any real trouble in HFIL at all…"

"Maybe your men are breaking them," Baba suggested.

"No," the red ogre said firmly, shaking his head. "It's not them. Why would they, anyway? But on the off-chance that it _was_ them, then Vegeta would have killed them ages ago. He's been ordering me nonstop to have the screens fixed, because Goku's been bothering him every ten minutes for the last several months, asking him to find a working set."

"What about the Kais?" Baba asked. "Surely that fool King Kai could check on the child."

Lord Emma shook his head once more. "Not possible. All five Kais have fallen ill two days ago, including the Grand Kai. Furthermore, no one on the Grand Kai planet can meditate properly at all, and Goku's been in an absolute panic. He, Gohan and the Western fighter Pikkon said that they had the girl dying their arms recently, but this can't be true. I've received no indication that a live child was on the Grand Kai planet."

"What?" Baba exclaimed in shock. Well, here was something the girl neglected to mention! "How long ago was this? And be as accurate as possible on your recollection, please!"

"It was a few days ago. I don't want to say anyone's starting to hallucinate, but…well…"

Baba's jaw dropped slightly as she digested every bit of information. How could all these problems be occurring at one time? What was going on? Was it possibly…no, it couldn't be. They would never interfere…or would they? "Lord Emma, I can't wait any longer. I need to see Goku immediately."

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

**Six years ago…**

_He wasn't that stupid, even if he **was** only six years old. _

_Sachiko had been missing for days. Kargo was on the point of sheer panic; he knew how long a four-year-old girl could last in the wilderness by herself, and darn it, it wasn't that long._

_There was no sign of her energy anywhere. It was as if…as if she had completely disappeared off the face of the Earth. Maybe she was even…even…_

_He forced himself away from those thoughts. No, she was a strong person. She wouldn't just die. Still…this wasn't right. He wanted her back now! Didn't she know how much she meant to him, as his one and only friend? How could she just disappear like that, without a word? Selfish girl!_

"_Kargo…"_

_The Namek child looked up, and saw the stern face of his father. He knew why Piccolo was here; he had been neglecting his studies for days now, and had not even bothered to check on the activities of the Earth since Sachiko had disappeared. He knew that he had risked facing Piccolo's temper by doing so, but those other things didn't seem important. All that mattered was finding his friend. Wasn't a loved one's life more important that the trivial activities of the technology-divided humans?_

_Apparently, his father seemed to disagree._

"_You've been tardy," his father said, his voice dangerously soft. "Go to your room, and read the scrolls I picked out for you."_

_Kargo looked up, and saw that his father's hands and jaw were clenched. A bad sign. But still…he swallowed nervously, and gave Piccolo a pleading look. "Dad," he said quietly, "please. Sachi's still out there somewhere—"_

"_It's been almost two weeks," Piccolo cut in, his voice becoming gentler, almost understanding. "Taka, Goushi, and I can't find her. I'm sorry, but chances are that she's most likely gone by now…"_

"_Don't say that!" Kargo cried, tears coming to his eyes. "We…we should go after her! We should look for her again! We can't just give up!"_

"_You can't go after her!" Piccolo yelled, all gentleness gone now. "She is but a mere human child! Chances of her still being alive are slim! I've accepted it, Goushi accepted it, and even Taka accepted it! Why can't **you**?"_

"_Don't talk about her like she's dead!" Kargo shouted back, anger completely overcoming his senses. " She's still alive! I can find her!" He stared at his feet, and bit his lip, emotions filling his chest until he felt as if he would explode. "I…I can't live like this, not knowing where she is…"_

_Piccolo stared at him, completely stunned at his son's display of grief. "How can you have all these emotions for one particular human?" the older Namek demanded. "You are a guardian! You should care for all, not for only one!"_

"_BAH!" Blinded by despair and rage, Kargo shoved his father angrily, actually making the older Namek stumble backwards. "You don't even care! If you won't help me, then I'm gonna go look for her myself!" With that, Kargo whirled towards the exit of the lookout and ran outside into the raging storm. As he ran, thunder boomed throughout the skies, as if agreeing wholeheartedly with his mood._

"_Kargo!" Piccolo roared at him from behind. "You miserable child! Come back!"_

_Kargo growled, and quickly flew to the top of the lookout. He would hide! He would hide until his father went away, and then he could look for Sachiko! It was perfect! Suppressing his ki to as low as it would go, he hid on the roof of the highest point on the lookout, and pressed his body flat against the shingles as the rainwater soaked his green skin._

"_Kargo!" he heard his father scream. "Where are you? Come out! YOU CAN'T HIDE FOREVER!"_

"_Leave me alone," Kargo hissed._

"_Kargo!"_

"_Leave me alone, leave me alone, leave me alone…"_

"_KARGO!"  
_

"_LEAVE ME ALONE!" Kargo screamed, and just then, his surroundings seemed to become illuminated. Everything around him was getting brighter, and brighter, and brighter…_

_Kargo looked up, and he saw it. Something so beautiful, so awe inspiring, so deadly…Kargo's eyes widened as he saw that streak of white light shoot towards him. He had no idea what it was, had no idea how much pain it would cause him, how much damage it would do to him both physically and mentally later on…if he did, he probably would have run away with every bit of energy he had…_

_And then it struck him.  
_

"_!"_

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

**Present…**

Kargo jolted himself awake, screaming as he clutched at his chest. Immediately, two hands grabbed his, and a low, male voice whispered, "Shh! Lie down, kid! I'm not done healing you yet!"

The Namek boy looked up, and found himself face to face with a boy who looked to be around sixteen years old. The boy was dressed in worn clothing, and had black hair so long and shaggy that his bangs completely covered his eyes. Regardless of this oddity, the boy seemed to see perfectly well as he touched Kargo's chest wound with glowing blue hands.

"Your wound is almost healed," the boy said quietly. "But I suggest that you stop moving like that. Your injury could reopen if you don't let me finish. Now sit _still_." The boy pushed Kargo back to a lying position, his movements agitated and rude.

"OW!" Kargo yelped as his head banged against the cold steel floor. He lifted his body halfway off the ground, and rubbed the back of his head. "Hey, what the hell is your problem? I don't even know who you are! And stop touching me!" Kargo yelled, slapping the boy's glowing hands away. "I don't swing that way, alright?"

The boy sighed, and rubbed his temples. "My name," he said through gritted teeth, "is Ke. I'm _trying_ to heal you, because I know that Sachiko is very fond of you, and it would pain her if you were to die."

"Sachi-chan?" Kargo looked at the boy, Ke, in surprise. "You know her? How do you— hey, wait one fucking minute…" Kargo stared at Ke's glowing hands, and fumed. "Ke! You're the one who taught Sachiko that healing technique, aren't you? You're the one she won't tell me about! Her _secret_ friend!"

"Dove told you about me?" Ke remarked, his mouth curving into a smile. "Aw, I guess that means I'm on her mind a lot…maybe even more than you are. Hahahaha!"

"Shut up!" Kargo yelled, now sitting upright as he glared at the older boy. "I don't know who you are, or why you're here with me, but until I do, stay the hell away from me, got it?"

Ke let out a snort, but crossed his arms and nodded. "Whatever. I try to be nice, and what do I get? You know what? Just screw it. No more 'Good Samaritan' role for me. Go do whatever you want, kid. Get killed. Don't blame me if Sachiko's crying her heart out on my shoulder later when this is all over."

Kargo growled and bared his fangs at the boy, before he managed to pick himself off of the cold floor. Grasping at his sore, aching chest, Kargo looked around and groaned when he saw that they were in a room made completely out of steel. Soft flourescent lights shine above their heads, revealing that there were no windows, only a steel door that had small slits near the bottom, presumably used to slip in food. "Damn it…how do we get out of here?"

"So now there's a 'we'?" Ke remarked flatly, his mouth twisting into a frown.

"Well, unless you want to be stuck here with me forever, _we_ have to work together, you asshole!"

"Forget it!" Ke snapped. "There's no way out. I've been here for days, and I'm a hundred percent sure that there's no way out unless someone from outside inputs the code for the door. So until then—" Ke leaned against the wall and relaxed his body "—we're partners in this steel box they call a room."

"…ah, damn." Kargo punched the steel wall in despair, denting it slightly, before he slumped to the floor, feeling worn out. "Damn, damn, damn…"

"You shouldn't worry about yourself," Ke muttered. "They put us in _here_, so they won't kill us. I'm more worried about those other people…especially Sachiko."

"What?" Kargo gave Ke a questioning glance. "Why? Do you know what's going on? Do you know what the hell these guys want?"

The older boy sighed. "It's very complicated," Ke said quietly, "and it's partially my fault…but just know that Sachiko is in Tsu's clutches now—"

"_WHAT_?"

"—and there is little chance she can escape without outside help. And…that's all. I can't tell you the details."

"WHY NOT?"

"Well, first off, because there's a camera in the corner, taping our every movement," Ke replied ever-so-helpfully. Kargo looked up as the boy pointed to the dark corner of the cell, and sure enough, there was a small, blinking red light. The Namek groaned and cursed so foully that Ke blushed and turned away. "You don't have to cuss so much, you know," the older boy said softly.

"Ah, fuck you!" Kargo yelled.

"However," Ke continued in a would-be calm voice, "I _can_ tell you this. You're alive because the person in charge needs the dragonballs. Tsu and Rei know more about the history of the balls than I do, but what we all know is that if something happens to you, it could severely affect the dragonballs as well. So you're kept alive."

"That's comforting," Kargo spat sarcastically. "But how do you people know about the dragonballs? And what about Sachi-chan?"

Ke didn't respond.

"Well? What's going to happen to her? Why do they want her so much? TALK TO ME, DAMN IT! You wouldn't shut up ten seconds ago!"

"You…you don't know what she is, do you?"

"Huh?"

"…they're not going to kill her. However…what Tsu wants to do with her will lead her to a fate that's far worse than death."

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

"YOU BITCH! DO YOU KNOW WHO I AM? LET ME GO—OW!"

Jiro cried out in pain as Dr. Rei slapped him hard across the face. Hideaki shrieked in horror at the sight, as Roshi attempted to pull free from his shackles. "You traitor!" Hideaki cried, pulling hopelessly against her own chains. "How could you betray me? How could you sell me out to some asshole I don't even know?"

"I am merely following orders, Miss," Rei replied emotionlessly, staring at Hideaki through her thick, obscuring glasses that completely blurred her eyes from view. "And one of my orders are to suppress any and all acts of rebellion. Please do not bother," she added to Roshi, who was yanking at his chains with maniacal energy. "Those chains are from Capsule Corporation's own Research and Development facilities. It is futile to struggle against them. I believe that Master Jiro has used a prototype on the deceased Namekian, Piccolo Daimao Junior, with great success…"

Jiro gaped at the woman, who was tucking a strand of graying black hair perfectly behind her ear, before he snarled, "How the fuck did you know that, bitch?"

"I cannot relay that information to you."

"Bah!" Master Roshi tugged one last time at the chains, before he hung limp against the cold white marble wall like a piece of meat. "Whoo! These chains _are_ strong! Um, Dr. Rei, if you could be so kind, could you at least loosen the shackles a bit? They're so tight that I can't quite feel my hands anymore…"

Rei turned her head towards Roshi, her movements cold and mechanical. "You are lying," she said in her monotone voice. "Your tense body language indicates to me that you plan to attack me when I loosen your bonds. I will do no such thing."

"Damn," Roshi cursed, hanging his head in defeat.

"Reina!" Hideaki cried desperately. "Please, I trusted you! We worked together on top secret projects, for crying out loud! Why are you doing this? Why?"

"Because _he_ told me to."

"Who told you to?" Hideaki pressed.

"_He_ did."

"…"

Jiro snorted loudly, which drew Rei's attention. "Be a little more specific, you old bitch," he sneered. "Give us a name, not a pronoun."

The middle-aged woman stared at Jiro through her thick glasses, before her lips curved into a cold smile. "It does not matter," she said in her dead voice. "Soon, you will all be disposed of by Ryoushi. You three have no further uses for me or Tsu, and it is illogical to keep you alive if you have not a purpose. Please, no more arguing, and enjoy your last days of existence, Master Jiro. Miss Hideaki. Master Roshi."

"Wait!" Jiro yelled, kicking at Rei. "What about Sachiko and the freak? Where the fuck are they?"

"The Namek male is in a holding facility with my lesser," Rei replied dully. "Their purposes have not yet been fulfilled, so we are keeping them alive for the time being."

_Lesser?_ Jiro's face became blank. _Holding facility? _"What the hell are you talking about? Why are you keeping Kargo, and not us?"

"We need the Namek male for the dragonballs," Rei answered. Her fingers pushed her thick, obscuring glasses perfectly on her nose, before she continued. "I find the balls to be illogical and impractical in both a scientific and religious standpoint, but _he_ wants them. I cannot disobey my orders, so the Namek must stay alive."

"What about Sachiko?" Jiro continued, narrowing his ice-blue eyes. "Where the hell did you put her? And where the fuck is that boy who drugged her? I'll rip him apart!"

"You will do no such thing to my lesser," Rei said, her monotone voice suddenly becoming edged. "He is a minor inconvenience to me and Tsu, but he is still a part of us. I will not allow anyone to damage him."

_Well, at least I know who the "lesser" is now,_ Jiro thought. _Geez, this woman addresses herself and that guy as if they're **things**, not humans!_ "What about Sachiko? Where is she?"

Rei's lips curved once again into a smile, but this time she bared her teeth, and looked like—there was no other word for it—like an absolute _lunatic_. There was no warmth in the smile at all; this was a look that was devoid of niceties of any and all sorts. Jiro, one who normally didn't get scared or frightened, felt a deadly chill run up his spine, one that sent all the hairs on the back of his neck standing straight with fear. He dropped his angry glare, his bravado and egotism, and backed up against the marble wall, his eyes now wide with fear.

_Shit._ This woman…she couldn't be real…

"Do you want to know why we're keeping her?" Rei asked robotically, as she stepped closer to Jiro. "Do you want to know what we're going to do to her? What we plan to do to that little anomaly?"

Jiro turned his head to the side as Rei leaned in towards him, her face creeping closer and closer towards his. He then gasped when he felt the woman's hand grab his throat, and almost broke his neck when she forced his head upwards to meet her eyes. (Not that he could see her eyes, anyway. Those disgusting glasses were completely blocking them from view…)

"Leave him alone!" Hideaki screamed, and Jiro heard the clinking of chains as his sister tried to reach him. "Leave us all alone! We haven't done anything to you!"

"Yes! Let the boy go! This is inhuman!" Roshi yelled from his own position. Rei ignored them both, however, and tightened her grip on Jiro's neck, making him gasp and choke for air.

"Answer me," the woman whispered. "Do…you want…to _know_?"

Jiro choked once more, before he whispered, "I-it's because…she's a descendent…of Goku and Vegeta. She's…a Saiyajin…"

"Wrong!" Rei yelled suddenly, and tightened her grip until Jiro's face turned purple. As Hideaki and Roshi screamed and begged for her to stop, Rei lowered her lips to Jiro's ear, and said in a whisper loud enough for the others to hear, "You…are…wrong. If that was the reason, then you'd be kept alive with her. You are, after all, a descendant of Goku and Vegeta as well, through your father's side…"

Jiro's eyes widened even more, and he shook his head frantically, despite having almost no oxygen.

"Ah, I see. You are infatuated with her, are you not?"

Again, Jiro shook his head, although his face turned more red than it did purple that time.

"Be glad you're not in her position. She is a mistake. Something to be studied. Turned. Eliminated if she does not cooperate. Be glad, Master Jiro. Be glad…"

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

"Pretty child, why won't you look at me? I've given you forty-seven pork buns, five glasses of sweet lemonade, and that strange gray squirrel Ryoushi caught a few days ago in South City. Please, give this old man a smile, at least…"

With an oddly clean Mr. Squirrelly-Squirrel sitting in her lap, Sachiko sat cross-legged on the floor of her brightly lit cell, her lips thinning into a bitter scowl as she shut her eyes tightly, determined not to look at her captor. "You're a mean, mean person, Mister Tsu," she said angrily. "You kidnapped me and my friends, you took Jiro, Hideaki, and Master Roshi away, and you _hurt_ Kargo-kun and Kikai-san! I'm never going to look at you! Never, ever, ever! Not even if you were the last person in the world! Right, Mr. Squirrelly-Squirrel?"

The gray squirrel gnashed his teeth in agreement.

The old master smiled through his head scarf and squatted so that he was at eye level with the small girl. He reached through the energy bars of the cell and stroked Sachiko's cheek, laughing when she squeaked and slapped his hand away in fright. "So adorable! It's good for a girl your age. Of course, I do expect you to be nicer to me later on, in addition to being adorable. I wouldn't want to keep you cooped up in this little prison forever and ever."

"Humph!" Sachiko crossed her arms and stuck her tongue out at the old master, her eyes still shut tight. On her lap, Mr. Squirrelly-Squirrel mimicked her actions.

"Don't you want something more to eat or drink?" Tsu cooed, his smile widening when he heard Sachiko's stomach growl…again. "I could make something very, very delicious for you in a matter of minutes, other than pork buns. Well, _I_ won't be the one actually making it, but I could get that fool Ke to make something for you. He's a terrific cook, did I tell you that?"

"Ke-kun!" Sachiko's eyes burst open, and she stared at Tsu in surprise. "Where is he? Where did you hide him? What did you do to him?"

"Aha! You're_ looking_ at me!" Tsu exclaimed cheerfully, completely ignoring Sachiko's demands. "I guess you never really follow up on your threats, do you sweetie-muffin?"

"Don't call me that!" Sachiko yelled, narrowing her eyes. She stood up, sending Mr. Squirrelly-Squirrel scurrying, and pounded at the yellow energy bars that kept her trapped. "You don't know me, and I don't know you! You're not my Okaasan, or my Grandfather, or even my Tousan! You have no right to call me a sweetie-muffin until I decide that I like you enough, like I did with my friends and Kikai-san!"

As if on cue, a soft moan echoed through the room, and both Sachiko and Tsu turned their heads towards the source of the noise. Tsu smirked and Sachiko whimpered when their eyes fell upon a blonde woman lying on a gurney, her arms and legs bound to the ends of the mobile bed with energy bonds to prevent movement of any kind.

"Kikai-san," Sachiko whispered.

The beautiful woman was in a state of total disarray. She was lying on sheets that were ripped and bloodied, and was wearing a white gown that was in a condition as poor as the sheets. Her face was pale and empty, like the surface of the moon, and her mouth was open slightly in a small frown, and if she was suffering from a pain she couldn't get away from. Her hair, which had been styled so elegantly the last time Sachiko had seen her, was disheveled and badly in need of a wash. But the most shocking, most horrifying thing for the small girl was Kikai's right arm and left leg.

There were _wires_ and _metals_ sticking out where there should have been limbs. The metals were shaped so that they resembled an arm and a leg, but there was no mistaking the gray hue of the steel, the blinking of miniature lights that emitted from what Tsu called _circuits_, whatever they were. The small girl bit her lip and tried not to look at the strange, foreign objects that were attached to Kikai's body. This was something she still couldn't understand, something she wasn't used to.

Kikai…a machine? No. The woman was much too human, much too real!

Sachiko fought the urge to cry as Kikai moaned again and opened her eyes, slowly turning her head towards her and Tsu. Kikai blinked for a moment, trying to get her vision working again, before the blue irises widened in shock.

"Ah, Miss Eighteen!" Tsu greeted cheerfully, standing up and giving the immobile woman a wave. "Awake, I see! Rei really did a good job on fixing those limbs I hacked off…SO! Feeling any better, my dear?"

"Her name isn't Eighteen, it's Kikai!" Sachiko yelled, only to receive a reprimanding tap on the forehead from the old master.

"Quiet, my spirited child," Tsu scolded gently. He turned back to the woman, and gave her a cheerful smile. "So? Your arm and leg feeling better? We would have grafted some skin for you, but Rei's been quite busy with another …shall I say project? Or does experiment sound better? I don't know what the difference is…"

"Go to Hell," Kikai spat, and fought against her bindings. "What have you done to me, old man? What did you and that—that _woman_ do to me? And why is that girl here?" Kikai stared at Sachiko, and for a moment, the small girl thought she saw worry in the woman's eyes.

"We copied the information on the technology used to create you," Tsu said, as if that was the most obvious thing in the world. "Really, that Dr. Gero. What a greedy genius. He made the perfect cyborg, and didn't share his findings with anyone! Even now, Capsule Corporation's farthest achievement with robotics are those useless hunks of metal they call travel guides." Tsu sighed. "So pitiful and sad."

"So what do you want the kid for?" Kikai snapped, as she tried to lift her legs. "She's not an android or a cyborg. Let her go."

Tsu smiled, and grasped Sachiko's tiny hand through the yellow bars, ignoring the child's attempt to pull free from his hold. "She's here because I _want_ her to be here," the old master said, his tone becoming merrier than before, even though Mr. Squirrelly-Squirrel was gnawing at his pant leg in fury. "And also because she's become too intriguing for Rei to ignore. Don't you know what this child is?"

Kikai fell silent, though she continued to tug at her restraints. Sachiko was anything but silent; she was too busy trying to claw and bite Tsu's hand off of hers. The man had skin as thick as leather!

"Oh, I'm not talking about the connection she has with Goku," Tsu replied, waving his free hand in the air in dismissal. "As interesting as _that_ piece of information is, that's not why we want her. And no, I'm not talking about the Dragonballs either. My reason, and Rei's reason, even _Ke's_ reason for wanting this child is far more personal than that. Would you get off, you vicious thing?" Tsu shooed the squirrel away from his leg, nudging the animal back into the cell with his foot.

At this point Sachiko stopped biting Tsu's hand, and Kikai stopped struggling. Both females stared at Tsu with a mixture of surprise and intrigue, and Tsu merely smiled through the mouth slit of his head scarf.

"W-why?" Sachiko asked in a soft voice, her golden eyes wide. "W-why were you after me so much?"

Tsu turned to Sachiko, and stroked her cheek again as she winced at his touch. "Don't you know what you are?" he whispered to the now still child. "Don't you know that you shouldn't even exist?"

Sachiko's eyes widened, no longer caring that Tsu was touching her. "W-what are you saying?"

"Don't you know that everything is _your_ fault? The attacks on the villages, the fact that so many people were killed and injured beyond healing? Don't you know that your _entire existence_ is nothing more than an accidental oversight? You are a mistake, Muzai Sachiko. You are something that shouldn't exist."

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

**TURMOIL: WOW. This chapter sucks. (Sighs) I'm definitely over the "finish the story in eight chapters" limit. I don't care anymore. I'll be done when I'm done. I might even reach the fifty chapter limit. Oh…boy.**

**Eighteen: Huh. You seem depressed.**

**TURMOIL: That would be because I _am_ depressed. Finals are coming up. (Sobs)**

**Eighteen: (Dull tone) You have my sincerest condolences.**

**TURMOIL: (Sniff) Whatever. So. What's your opinion on Tsu and Ke and Rei? They're getting quite popular these days.**

**Eighteen: Of course they're popular! We have no idea who they are, and you've been giving them loads of screen time! And for some odd reason, Tsu seems to be hitting on me…**

**TURMOIL: …Ew. You really thing so? Oh, whatever! Let's just get these negotiations underway! So, Sachiko-chan…you say that you'd be willing to break from the strike? What's your price?**

**Sachiko: (Face and body completely mummified) So…hungry.**

**TURMOIL: Huh. (Evil grin) This might just be easier than I thought…**

**Eighteen: Um…shouldn't you also be talking to the other two pre-pubescent boys?**

**TURMOIL: Not now! I have those ingrates right where I want them…mwahahaha…**

**Eighteen: You know, lozerz r us and Mysticwaterbender3 are completely right. You ARE a fiend.**

**TURMOIL: (With devil horns growing out of head) I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about.**

**(Outside "Wind-Down" room)**

**Kargo: HEY! You can't talk in there with ONLY Sachiko! She's in a weak, vulnerable state of mind right now! YOU DON'T KNOW HOW SHE GETS WHEN SHE'S HUNGRY!**

**Jiro: This is all your fault, freak! This hunger strike idea just made TURMOIL even more controlling over us! She has Sachiko back, for crying out loud!**

**Kargo: SHUT UP! All you readers out there, help us! Don't let our author do this to us, if you have any compassion at all!**


	41. A Failed Experiment

Kargo: Our author does not own DBZ, which is a good thing. If she was in control, the show would have taken a million years to finish!

Jiro: …and we've been neglected. _Again_. For over three damn months!

Sachiko: (sobs) Waaaaaah! She left us at that awful cliffhanger! But she's back, and she apologizes for not writing anything for so long!

_**Chapter Forty-One: A Failed Experiment**_

"You have to get the door open, Korin! Master Roshi needs us!"

"Shhhh! Let me just twist this knob here! AH! I got it! Now…"

The closet door slowly opened, and a white, feline head slowly peeked out of the dark storage space. Korin quickly looked around the empty, ruined house, twisting his head in all directions as he tried to detect even the smallest flicker of evil in the area.

There was nothing.

Korin sighed, and stepped out of the closet. "It's okay, Turtle!" he said in relief. "Those shady characters are gone. But…" Korin stared at the torn-down walls, the destroyed pieces of furniture, and the helter-skelter mess that had once been Roshi's living room. He then noticed the small splatters of blood, both the ones inside and outside the house.

_Oh no. For the sake of all that's holy…what happened here?_

"Good heavens…they're all gone!" Turtle exclaimed, as he shuffled out of the dark closet. He pulled his heavy body towards Korin, and stared at the debris of the house. "What do we do now? We have to go after them! There's no telling what'll happen to them if we don't!"

"And how do you propose we do that?" Korin cried, stamping his staff into the ground. "We're not exactly fighters, you know! If we try to get them back, we'll get disintegrated on the spot!"

"But...but…Master Roshi…"

"You know my limitations," Korin went on, stepping over the ruined wall as he made his way to the beach. "I can't do more than sense the power level of an enemy, and grow senzu beans. What are we supposed to do, exactly? Hide in our shells as we throw beans at those creeps?"

Turtle dragged himself after Korin, his eyes squeezed shut as he shook his head fiercely. "No!" he protested. "We can't just stay here! Maybe we can go after Eighteen. She can help, can't she? She's still one of the strongest fighters in the world!"

The white cat snorted. "Fat chance," he said. "She's probably back in the city by now. And why would she help us? You know that she distanced herself from us ever since Krillen and Marron died! She doesn't care anymore!"

"There has to be someone!" Turtle insisted, still shaking his head. "There _has_ to be!"

Korin sighed, and sat down on the wet sand. "There is _no one_," he said quietly, staring sadly at the blue-grey ocean before him. "The Age of the Warrior died with Goku and Vegeta. Unless a miracle occurs, there is little chance that they can appear right before our eyes!"

"A little chance is always better than no chance at all," an aged voice said. Both Korin and Turtle shrieked with terror and ran back into the house, their bodies shaking with fright as they looked outside. Both of their eyes then widened, and both of their jaws simultaneously hit the floor when their gazes met that of Fortuneteller Baba's.

"If you two are done wetting yourselves," the pink-haired elder commented dryly, "then go inside and bring all the senzu beans you have. I have a guest with me, and I'm afraid his time here is rather limited…" Baba looked to her side. Korin and Turtle followed her gaze and saw a figure fly down onto the white sands of the beach.

Again, the two were reduced to stunned silence.

The figure scratched his head uneasily, and gave Baba a small pout. "Hey, can we get something to eat, first? I can't save Sachi-chan on an empty stomach, you know!"

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

"Take your hands off that kid!" Kikai yelled, straining at her bonds as she tried to escape. While she failed to weaken the ropes of energy, she succeeded in awakening Sachiko from her daze. The small girl blinked, before she quickly slapped Tsu's hand away from her cheek.

She wasn't stupid. She wasn't! She just couldn't—_couldn't_—understand it. Who in their right mind could understand what Tsu had just told her right now? How could this be? What did it mean?

How could it be that she wasn't supposed to exist?

"You're lying," Sachiko declared, her voice shaking with every word. "You're lying. You're lying. You're lying, YOU'RE LYING, _YOU—ARE—LYING_!" Sachiko covered her ears, and shook her head wildly. "I'm…I'm not supposed to exist? That doesn't make any sense! You're not making sense! Stop trying to confuse me!"

Through the corner of her eye, she could see Kikai's astonished stare. "Kid!" she heard the older woman cry. "Don't break down! That guy is _insane_! Everyone here is out of their mind!"

"Oh really?" Tsu crossed his arms, and snorted. "Just because I happen to think differently, you label me as an insane being? Oh, the shame, Miss Eighteen! I thought that _you_, of all people, would have understood my way of thinking…"

"Fuck off!" Kikai yelled. She strained at her bonds once more, only to fail once more. Tsu made a noise of disapproval, and waggled his finger in her face.

"Tsk, tsk, my dear. Why don't you at least _try_ to calm down? If you don't, I'll have to put you in a cage like Sachiko-chan here…" The old man reached down and stroked Sachiko's hair.

"L-leave me alone!" Sachiko cried, shrinking away from the old master. All of her earlier courage was gone, replaced by unending confusion and unknown fear. "Y-you're not making any sense! What do you mean, I shouldn't exist? Why am I here then?" She slapped her hand against the energy wall of her cell so forcefully that the transparent energy walls flickered and crackled from the power. "_Why am I here then_?"

On the ground beside her, Mr. Squirrelly-Squirrel gnashed his teeth in agreement.

The walls of the cage held, but Tsu's lips thinned unpleasantly through the mouth holes of his mask. Sachiko was blind to this however, and she clenched her small hands into fists as she repeatedly struck the walls of her prison. "If I shouldn't exist," she went on, almost hysterically, "then how come my hand's starting to hurt? How come I can feel pain? How come my hand's starting to turn really red—OW!"

Sachiko clutched at her hand and blinked back the hot tears as a stab of pain shot through her arm. Her hands were now red and bruised, having been utterly useless against the energy walls. The sound of a throat clearing drew her attention, and she looked up, only to see Tsu's displeased frown.

"I have forgotten," the old man said quietly, his eyes forever hidden, "that you know nothing about yourself. I have forgotten that you are but a foolish little girl…" He sat down on a nearby stool, his mask-covered face turned away from her. "You are so blissfully unaware of the worldly events, so blind to the facts that are presented before you. It almost makes me want to cry. Well, I'd cry if I _could_, but Ke's the emotional one in the family, not me. Ah, yes…" A grin spread through Tsu's face, and he turned his covered gaze back to Sachiko. "Yes…family..."

"What're you up to now?" Kikai asked, her eyes narrowed with hatred. "Stay away from the kid! Leave her alone!" Her protests were thoroughly ignored by the old master, who scooted his stool closer to the yellow energy bars of Sachiko's cage.

Unbeknownst to all three people in the room, something small and thin fell out of Tsu's pocket, and landed with a soft thump on the ground. The gray squirrel perked at the sound, but it went unnoticed to everyone else.

"Child," Tsu asked, giving Sachiko a rather frightening, teeth-bared grin, "would you like me to tell you a little story?"

The small girl sniffed, and tried to rub the tears out of her eyes. "No," she replied crossly, scooping a rather energetic Mr. Squirrelly-Squirrel into her arms. "I don't wanna talk to you anymore, you mean person! Go away!"

"But if I go away, who would I converse with?" Tsu whined, his actions becoming suddenly child-like. "Your companions are uninteresting, Rei's more mechanical than normal at certain times, Ke's nothing but a sentimental pain in the backside, and Miss Eighteen just wants to kick my poor bum!"

"Damn straight," Kikai hissed, tugging hard at her bonds.

Tsu pretended to weep, and covered his scarf-covered face with his hands. "Boohoo! See how cruel Miss Eighteen is, my dear Sachiko? Boohoo! You're the only one I want to talk to! Why won't you give this old man his dues? Boohoo!" Tsu moved his hands away from his face, revealing a very dry and not at all tearstained face scarf. The old master grinned, and his voice suddenly took on a more devious tone. "Then again," he continued in a coy voice, "I suppose I should expect nothing less from the offspring of a failed experiment."

Sachiko looked up with a mixture of curiosity and alarm, mostly due to her not knowing what half of the words meant. However, Tsu merely stood up, reached into his pockets, and tossed something through the yellow bars of the cage, a small object that was wrapped in white cloth. The old master then bowed to her, his lips stretched in a full grin, before he left the room, whistling as he did so.

At first, the small girl couldn't do anything but gape after the old man. Then, when she snapped out of her stupor, she unwrapped the small white package, with Mr. Squirrelly-Squirrel resting on her head.

Into her lap fell a small water canteen. It was painted to look like a lake of crystal clear water under a beautiful night sky. The night grass was bowing gracefully to an evening breeze; in the corner were two shadows of people staring at the stars.

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

"A failed…_what_?"

Kargo stared at Ke in astonishment. The older boy coughed nervously, and turned away from the Namek's stunned stare. "It's complicated," Ke mumbled, staring at a dark spot on the steel wall. "And it's completely our fault…me and Tsu and Rei...if it weren't for us, Taka would never had met Sachiko's father…"

"What—what—what the hell are you talking about?" Kargo sputtered. He grabbed Ke by the collar and shook him wildly. "Damn you! What exactly do you know? Why are you and those creeps responsible for Taka-san meeting Sachiko's dad? Tell me now!"

"I don't know all the details!" Ke cried, unsuccessfully trying to pry the Namek's hands off. The human boy threw a nervous glance at the camera in the corner.

"That's bullshit! You just told me that you were responsible!"

Ke paled slightly, and tried to squirm away. "Sachiko's father was an experiment that Rei and Tsu conducted. He wasn't—he wasn't what you'd call normal. None of us ever expected him to meet Taka!" he cried, staring at Kargo rather pathetically through the bangs that covered his eyes. "Rei and Tsu never thought he'd father a child! Well, I sort of did, but…but I didn't think that Sachiko would turn out like this. None of us knew about Taka's ancestry at the time!"

The Namek stared open-mouthed at the human teen. "So what was he? Was he human, or what?"

"I…I…"

"_Well_?"

"LOOK!" Ke ripped Kargo's hands off of his collar with surprising strength, and threw the Namek away from him. "I'm sorry, but there is very little I can tell you! It's not that I don't want to, but it's because I _can't_!"

"Why not?" Kargo yelled in frustration.

"Why not? Why NOT? Because I'm _limited_, that's why not!" With that, Ke broke down. He leaned against the wall and sank to the floor, burying his face in his hands as his black bangs slid further down his face, almost covering his nose. "You don't understand the type of hold that Rei and Tsu have on me. I can't break it, no matter how much I want to! If I had control, I would never have allowed any of this to happen! Sachiko's father would never have met Taka at all, and Sachiko wouldn't have had to go through this!"

As Kargo watched, half with disgust and half with stunned surprise, Ke buried his head deeper into his hands and moaned pitifully.

The camera blinked cheerfully in the corner.

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

"YOU'RE LYING!" Jiro screamed. "YOU'RE A LYING BITCH!"

"And we say that with love, of course!" Roshi added hastily.

Rei sipped daintily from her blue porcelain cup, positioning the fragile antique in such a way that none of the dark tea would touch and stain her pale lips. The middle-aged woman sat quietly on small stool in front of her three prisoners, but she gave no sign that she was even aware of their existence, even though Jiro's banshee screams were echoing all throughout the room.

So emotional, the boy was. In fear of her in one second, and screaming in denial the next. There was no logic to his mood swings, and Rei was beginning to find the boy to be a source of minor irritation.

_Ryoushi should be arriving soon. Then I can move on._

"Sachiko's a living being!" Hideaki cried, tugging helplessly at her chains and shackles. "She's as real as you and me! She can't be some part of some—some experiment! Oh, Reina, what did you _do_?"

Rei ignored the young woman. Hideaki Kutai was irrelevant; all of these people were. When Rei finished the last drop of tea, she stood up and set the empty cup aside. She smoothed out the skirt of her perfectly ironed green dress, pushed her thick, obscuring glasses back towards the bridge of her nose, and slowly, mechanically, walked towards Jiro. The boy immediately stopped screaming when he realized that she was going towards him, and he gave her a very cold glare.

"When I get out of here," Jiro hissed, "I'm going to make sure that you and those wacko friends of yours pay! Now tell me where Sachiko is, or I swear I'll break out of these chains and rip you apart!"

Rei stood there silently, watching the young heir of Capsule Corps rant and rave like a madman. For a long while, she said nothing.

Then, she slapped him again.

HARD.

_CRACK!_

Jiro's head snapped to the side, his eyes widening. Hideaki's second scream was much louder than the first, and this time, Roshi's jaw simply hit the floor at the cruel display. Rei smiled as Jiro turned to stare at her again, his face no longer possessing any of its former anger and frustration.

Indeed, anger and frustration were the last emotions on Jiro's face. The boy's eyes were now large with shock, and his left cheek was rapidly reddening as five fingerprints and a palm print began to emerge against the white skin. On the right cheek, bruises had already formed, and now the boy had a symmetrical system of dark marks all over his handsome face.

"I enjoy hurting you, Master Jiro" Rei stated, her voice as monotone as ever. "I hope you see truth now, boy. You are of no importance to me and my superior. You are unnecessary. You are irrelevant. You are as useless as the little girl's father, and you _will_ be disposed of."

"What?" The boy's eyes widened. "You killed Sachiko's father? Why the fuck did you do that for?"

"Jiro-kun, you have _horrible_ priorities!" Hideaki shrieked. "She just said that she was going to _kill_ us, and you're more interested in the death of Sachiko's father? GOOD GRIEF!"

"Your sister has a point there," Roshi commented quietly, but was ignored.

"The failed experiment is not an important factor at the moment," Rei went on, crossing her arms in a stiff, mechanical manner. "However, if you must know, we did not destroy him. He is simply not in the same state that he was in a decade ago, so it would be pointless for the girl to even know of her father's current existence. The past knowledge is all that is necessary."

"What did you do to him?" Roshi asked, his voice surprisingly cordial. His right hand slowly slipped beneath his chains, until half of it was out of the cold metal. Rei did not notice; she was preoccupied with Jiro. "If you didn't kill him, then did you alter his state, or something?"

"I cannot relay that information to you," Rei said simply, not looking at Roshi.

"Drat." Roshi drew in a sharp breath as his thumb slipped out of the chains. Finally, his thin boniness revealed its uses! About time!

"What are you going to do to Sachiko?" Jiro demanded. "Are you going to kill her too, in the end?"

Rei smiled. "I would have killed the child from the beginning," she said calmly, as if she was merely discussing the weather. "I would have killed the woman known as Taka, the priest known as Goushi, and all those involved in their lives. Our agent at Capsule Corporation _wanted_ this, and we were supposed to follow his orders." Rei then frowned. "However, Tsu and Ke were against it, saying that the little girl had uses that were important to them."

Rei suddenly reached up and grabbed Jiro's chin harshly, making the young boy wince with pain. "Ah—damn it!" Jiro yelled. "Let me go, bitch!"

"I would not worry about the girl so much, Master Jiro," Rei said robotically. "If she proves her worth, then another fate awaits her, a life of power and infinite knowledge. Your fate, however, is about to come to an abrupt end, and you have only yourself to blame." Rei released Jiro's chin, and stroked his recently injured cheek. "Enjoy your last moments, young master. Your death will be quick."

With that, Rei turned on her heel and walked out of the room, blocking out all the screams and pleads for her to come back.

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

Baba looked around the mountain region of the East, her patience rapidly thinning. There were mounds of rock to the left. There were mounds of rock to the right. However, there was not a trace of anything suspicious in sight, nor could Goku sense anything other than primitive animal life.

This was an unexpected problem. Goku could not feel the girl's life energy at all, nor could he detect anything strange in the surrounding areas. Were Korin and Turtle wrong when they said that the suspicious characters had disappeared off to the East?

She checked her watch, and cursed quietly. Goku only had a limited time to spend on Earth, and they were losing hours…_fast_.

"This is more complicated than I expected," the fortuneteller muttered. She stared at the endless amounts of rock and stone that lay ahead of her, and growled. "People just don't disappear off the face of the Earth. And I'm pretty sure that they didn't hop on a spaceship during the last couple of days…"

"But then…what's going on?" Goku asked worriedly. "Baba, I can't feel Sachi-chan's energy at all. It's like she's…she's…" The Saiyajin stopped, and stared at Baba with wide eyes. "Y-you don't think she's—"

"No," Baba said firmly. "The girl is amazingly like you. I'm sure that she can take care of herself. You've always managed to take care of yourself when _you_ were her age."

"Then how come I can't feel her energy?" Goku demanded. "Did another bad guy appear out of nowhere and eat them like Majin Buu? Where did she go?"

Baba opened her mouth to answer, but she quickly shut it again.

In all honesty, she had absolutely no idea.

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

Jiro twisted and struggled as he tried to pull his wrists out of the chains.

Damn it! If only he could blast at them! However, his arms were spread wide, making him unable to aim his blasts at the pieces of metal. Most likely he'd end up shooting Hideaki or the old geezer, Roshi, and that was the last thing he needed.

Groaning, he hung limply against the cold wall. This was the end. He couldn't break free, and he had no idea where Sachiko and the freak were. They weren't coming to save him; they probably couldn't even save themselves at this point.

_Damn. I didn't wanna die like this…_

There was a soft clinking of chains. Jiro hadn't noticed this until Dr. Rei had left, but now, with silence settling throughout the entire room, the noise was loud, noticeable…

…and unbearably annoying.

"Master Roshi," he heard Hideaki ask quietly, her voice weighed down with stress. "What are you doing?"

"Getting us out of here," Roshi answered. Jiro raised a brow at this, and lifted his head until he could see the old man, who was currently in the midst of attempting to wiggle out of his chains. Jiro watched with surprise when he saw that the old man's right hand was more than halfway out of its constraint. With a loud grunt, Roshi tugged hard at his right arm, and in a second…

"YEEEOOOW!" Roshi waved his free arm around frantically as he tried to get some feeling back in his stiff limb, accidentally touching Hideaki's breasts in the process. While the old master didn't particularly mind, _Hideaki_ most certainly _did_, and this resulted in the young woman attempting to kick the poor, lecherous old man to death as he tried to give her fractured apologies.

"YOU PERVERT! YOU ASS!"

"I'm—OW! I'm sorry—OW!"

"Hideaki, knock it off!" Jiro yelled, halting his sister mid-kick. He turned to Roshi, and shook his chains loudly. "Old man, do you know how to use ki? If you can, then blast these chains, and do it quick!"

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

Kargo paced the cell worriedly, wincing every once in a while at the soreness in his right shoulder. "So what are they going to do to her?" the Namek asked, throwing a quick glance at the broken down Ke. The Namek boy tried to keep the nervousness in his voice and the twitching in his eye to a minimum, but he was failing on a grand scale. "What are they going to do to Sachi-chan? Come on, Ke! Talk to me! I'm actually starting to enjoy your depressing company!"

The older boy didn't answer. Instead, he threw a nervous glance at the camera in the corner, but Kargo retaliated by quickly shooting a small beam of ki at the machine, destroying it in seconds. "There!" Kargo yelled, his eye twitching rapidly with frustration. "It's broken! No one can peek in our conversations now, so tell me everything that you know!"

"Oh good lord," Ke whispered, his eyes wide as he stared at the remains of the broken camera. "Do you have any idea of what you've done?"

The Name boy blinked. "What? It's just a camera! It can be replaced!"

Ke surprisingly smiled, and even let out a small laugh. "_Exactly_! Someone has to come down here to replace it. And when they do, they have to actually come inside the room…with us." The older boy grinned at Kargo, who continued to stare at him in confusion.

"What are you talking about?"

"Idiot!" Ke cried. "If someone comes inside, then we have the chance to get out! We can take the guard by surprise, bonk him on the head, steal his access keys, and hightail it out of here!" The boy grasped Kargo by the shoulders, ignoring the look of pain that flashed across the Namek's features. "Do you get it now?"

Silence.

"Well?" Ke repeated impatiently. "Do you get it or not?"

More silence. Then, a snort. "_Bonk_?"

Ke sweatdropped. "…yes. I said _bonk_. You know how to _bonk_, don't you?"

"Yeah, but…" Kargo sniggered. "_Bonk_? You couldn't think of any other word?"

"Oh, be quiet! At least I can actually think of ideas!"

"Well, at least I don't—"

Suddenly, there was a loud thump against the door. Kargo's jaw dropped slightly. "Already? Damn, they're quick!"

Both the Namek and Ke listened as they heard the soft _beeps_ of the door as the guard punched in the access code. "Assholes," they heard him say gruffly on the other side. "Breaking the camera…what the fuck were they thinking?"

The door slowly opened…

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

Sachiko sat despairingly in her cage, her hands clutching at the hem of her white shirt.

What was she going to do? She couldn't escape. She tried breaking the energy bars, but her own ki did nothing against the prison walls, using brute strength only resulted in her hands getting bruised, and she wasn't small enough to squeeze through the bars.

But even if she wanted to escape _before_, her mind just wasn't focused on it _now_. What Tsu said to her rang through her naïve mind, twisting and spinning a new concept in what was once a simple thought process. She had no idea what to call it, this new sense of feeling that was implanted within her, but internally she knew that whatever it was, it was infinitely darker than what she was used to.

And what was that about her being an offspring to a failed experiment? What was Tsu talking about? What did any of that have to do with the fact that she wasn't supposed to exist?

…_MY HEAD HURTS! A LOT!_

Holding back the floodgate of tears, she tried to heal her hands as Mr. Squirrelly-Squirrel sniffed the painted water canteen curiously. Sachiko gasped when she felt a sudden drop in her energy, and stopped the healing process.

Ke had warned her not to use his healing technique when she was tired. The move was draining, and if she drained too much of her own energy, she risked death.

"Oh…"

The small girl then looked up at Kikai, who was groaning as she laid on the gurney. The woman had attempted to free herself for the past half hour, and had even stretched the energy bonds at one point. However, the bonds had then strengthened in power, and her limbs had been forced back onto the mobile bed.

"Damn it," Kikai hissed, tugging at her arms. "What the hell are these things?" The blonde woman looked up, and caught sight of Sachiko staring at her. "Come on kid," she said breathlessly. "We have to try to get out of here. We won't survive if we stay."

"How?" Sachiko asked softly, holding up her bruised hands. As far as she was concerned, they were done for. All optimism within her had vanished. "We can't break free. You saw me try. There's nothing we can—OH!" Sachiko gasped as Mr. Squirrelly-Squirrel slipped through the yellow bars of her prison, and headed towards a small object that was on the ground. "Mr. Squirrelly-Squirrel! Come back! That mean Tsu might step on you!"

The small gray squirrel encircled the object, and gnashed his teeth at it. Sachiko squinted, and saw that it was a very small…err, what did Jiro and Hideaki call it? A…remote thing-a-ma-bob…a remote control!

What was a remote control doing on the ground, in a place like this?

There were small red and blue buttons on the remote. The squirrel, who was still chattering angrily at the machine, pressed a paw against the circular red button. The weight of the animal forced the button downwards, and there was a very loud _click_!

For a while, there was nothing.

"EEEEEEEEEEEEEK!"

Sachiko shrieked when the energy bars around her cage sprang to life, flickering wildly like a candle in a harsh breeze. The small girl saw the bars twist and writhe, with several sparks of electricity leaping through the air…

And then, just like that, the yellow barrier was completely gone.

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

**Sachiko: Um…that didn't seem like a very good chapter. But please don't be upset, good readers! It's gonna get action-y soon! Next time, I try to fight back against that meanie, Tsu! Maybe Goku-san will finally find me! Oh…and there's a surprise…a good surprise! Or is it? Please read and review! Thank you very much in advance!**


	42. Et Tu, Piccolo san?

Jiro: Our author does not, in any way, own the DB franchise.

Sachiko: (sniffs sorrowfully) Oh…TURMOIL-san's been very, very sick.

Kargo: I thought she was going to die. She couldn't breathe properly or anything.

Jiro: Feh! Too bad she _didn't_ kick the bucket! If she did, we would have been free!

Sachiko: (gasps in shock) But Jiro! If something happens to her, then we have to go away forever!

Jiro: …

Sachiko: That means that there won't be any more chapters of this story!

Jiro: …

Kargo: (frowns, then smacks Jiro upside the head) That's BAD, you homunculus! That means that WE won't exist anymore!

Jiro: (rubs head) I'm seriously gonna kill you one day.

Kargo: (buries head in hands) Ugh…there's no getting through to you, is there?

_**Chapter Forty-Two: Et Tu, Piccolo-san?**_

When the bars disappeared, the first thing Sachiko did was gape at the open door like an idiot. Having been imprisoned for so long, the idea of actually coming _out_ of the cage felt foreign and strange to her, and it took the small girl a while to process the fact that she was free.

Once the thought process was over, however, she shot out of the prison like greased lightning.

She grabbed the remote on the floor, almost tripping over Mr. Squirrelly-Squirrel as she did so. "Sorry!" she apologized to the flustered animal. "I promise to get you lots of acorns when this is all over. You're such a _good_ little squirrel!" Sachiko then ran over to Kikai and began to press wildly at the remote, punching in all the red and blue buttons within thumb-reaching distance.

"Kid," Kikai hissed from the gurney. "What do you think you're doing? You're free, just get out of here!"

Sachiko shook her head. "This remote-thingie helped me, so it can probably help you too! We were both trapped by energy beams, so this thing-a-ma-bobbie must be able to turn them on and off!"

Kikai scoffed. "Just because it worked for you, doesn't mean that it's going to work for me. What are the chances that the remote is going to work for both of us at the same time? That's just too convenient! Just go and get out of here before that creep Tsu comes back!"

"No!" Sachiko stuck out her tongue in protest, before she went back to punching buttons.

"Damn it kid—" Kikai began, then stopped. The yellow energy binds on Kikai's arms and legs suddenly flickered wildly, growing and then fading in brightness, with sparks of electricity coming off of them until they were completely gone.

For a second, there was silence.

Then, Sachiko laughed. "Told ya!" the small girl said cheerfully, waving the remote at Kikai's face. "I knew it would work!"

Kikai said nothing, though her eye twitched ever so briefly. The blonde woman slowly got up, being careful not to rip her stained white gown as her bare feet touched the cold floor. Her body swayed unsteadily for a moment before she shot her human-looking hand out against the adjacent wall, leaning heavily on the icy steel as her legs wobbled dangerously. "Oh, damn," she mumbled, kicking with her repaired, metallic leg. She then glanced at her metallic arm, and shook her head. "My body's not quite used to this new machinery yet."

"D-don't worry!" Sachiko stammered, staring rather nervously at Kikai's new robotic arm and leg. "I-I'm sure that Hideaki can fix them! Maybe she can even make them look human-ish again! She's smart, so she can do anything!"

"Humph." Kikai raised a brow. "Are you scared of me now, kid? You seemed a bit antsy at my new body parts. Does the fact that I'm a cyborg make you think less of me?"

The small girl gasped, and wildly shook her head. "No, no, no, no, no! I—I think you're still just as pretty as before, Kikai-san! You're still the same pretty-ful person, even if you do have scary-looking metals and wires sticking out of your body parts!"

"…you're either trying to insult me, or you're trying to flatter me again."

"Huh?"

Kikai rolled her eyes. "Whatever, kid. Forget I said anything." The blonde took one step with her new leg, and cursed when she stumbled. "Damn it. It's going to be hard to move for me…"

"I'll help!" Sachiko took Kikai's still humanistic hand in her own, and gave the older woman a determined look. "Just lean on me! We're gonna go find Kargo and Jiro, and then we can get out of here!"

"_What_?" Kikai stared at Sachiko in shock. "Find those two brats? Forget it! We have to get out of here _now_! Do you not realize how strong that Tsu creep is?"

"Um…" Sachiko thought for a moment, before she shook her head. "No, I don't really know how strong he is. I've never actually fought against him. The first time I met him and talked to him was in the cage." The small girl peered up at Kikai curiously. "Does that count?"

"…no."

"Oh."

"Listen," the older woman said in a less-than-patient voice. "I don't know what Tsu is or where he's getting his power and information from, but I do know this. He's dangerous, and he's insane. I can't feel his power level, but—" Kikai's new robotic arm and leg twitched "—I do know that he's much, much stronger than me. If I have to fight him, I can't win, and neither can you."

"Is he a robot person like you?" Sachiko asked, eyes widening. "Is that why none of us can feel his energy?"

"I don't know." Kikai took another step, this time managing to stay on her feet without too much trouble. "I don't have the time to find out. We have to get out of here first; otherwise none of us will have the chance to learn the truth behind all this."

Sachiko and Kikai then limped towards the exit, with the small gray squirrel silently running behind them.

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

"Damn punks," the guard muttered as he opened the door to the cell. "Why'd they always gotta make things harder? Why'd they gotta break the fucking camera? If they just learn to sit still and be good, then all of this can go along at a faster pace. But _nooooo_…"

The guard then pulled out his blaster. Prisoners or not, he'd been warned that the green freak was powerful. Taking chances was something he couldn't do, not at _this_ job. He squinted through the darkness of the cell cautiously.

"OH, GOD!"

The man nearly jumped out of his skin at the scream. Dropping his blaster, he rushed into the cell and promptly shrieked out loud when he saw that the boy, Ke, was lying in the middle of the floor, gasping his lungs out. Ke's long, shaggy black hair was all over his face, more so than usual, but the guard could still see the boy's mouth. The pale lips were open and agape, twisting into grotesque shapes as he reached out a flailing hand towards the ceiling.

"H-help!" the boy wheezed. "Can't…_breathe_…!"

"What're you just standing around for?" the green child screamed, jumping up and down in a perfect fit of panic. "DO SOMETHING, ASSHOLE! Can't you see that he's DYING?"

"W-what'dya want me to do?" the guard cried out, bending down towards the gasping Ke while simultaneously turning his back to Kargo. "Shit, I ain't no medicinal doctor! We gotta get Dr. Rei; she'll know what to do—AAGGGGGH!"

The man cried out as Kargo snuck up behind him and hit him hard on the back of the head with the blunt end of the blaster. The Namek grinned in grim satisfaction when the guard fell forward with a dull gasp, knocked out completely.

Ke immediately stopped his wheezing, and soon was breathing regularly as Kargo searched the guard's pockets. "Nice bonking, kid," Ke said, smiling.

"Thanks. Nice acting, by the way…_aha_!" Kargo made a noise of triumph when he pulled out a white card key, which had the word "ACCESS" written on it in large, black letters. "This is it, right?"

"Yes." Ke took the card from Kargo and looked it over. "With this, we can get into any room in the base. We have to find Sachiko and that bigmouthed Capsule Corps heir as soon as possible. They could all be in danger at this very moment!"

"Yeah, about Jiro…" Kargo rubbed the back of his green sheepishly. "Um…do we _have_ to help him? I don't really like him, you see. His death wouldn't really faze me…heck, I'd be the happiest person in the world if he just dropped dead out of the blue."

Ke gave Kargo an astonished look. "You're kidding me, right?"

"…maybe."

Ke smiled weakly. "Good. As long as you were joking about it, there's no problem. Sachiko's a little attached to this Capsule Corps boy, just like she's attached to you, so Jiro dying wouldn't really help matters."

"Sachiko liking him is exactly why I want him dead," Kargo mumbled.

"What did you say?"

"Nothing."

"_Hey, Mac!_"

Both Kargo and Ke jumped at the unknown voice. The voice sounded scratchy and distant, as if the person was trying to speak to them through a can. There was also a lot of static…Kargo looked down, and saw that the unconscious guard had a walkie-talkie attached to his belt.

_Oooh. Not good._

"_Hey Mac!_" the voice said again, more persistent this time. "_What the hell's going on down there? Why ain't the camera working yet, you bum?_"

Kargo threw a panicked look at Ke. "Answer it!" he hissed. Ke blanched, and shook his head.

"Hell no!" the human boy whispered back. "You do it! I suck at imitating voices!"

"No! You're the better actor!"

"Well…it's your turn!"

"Fuck you!"

"No cussing, please!"

"_MAC!_" the voice yelled angrily. "_Damn it! Do I have to go down there?_"

Ke groaned before he quickly picked up the walkie-talkie, pushing the button reluctantly as he gave Kargo a glare that said, _when-this-is-over-I-swear-that-I-will-have-my-pathetic-yet-elaborate-revenge_. He cleared his throat, before he answered in a very rough, fake sounding voice, "Yo, Tony! Sorry about that. Had ta go take a…a dump."

The Namek's jaw dropped, and he made furious hand motions at Ke. "A _dump_?" Kargo hissed as quietly as he could. "You couldn't think of anything else?"

"Why don't you do it, if you're so smart?" Ke hissed back, covering the mouthpiece of the walkie-talkie.

Kargo slapped a hand to his forehead. They were doomed.

Surprisingly, the person at the other end seemed to believe Ke's excuse. "_Another dump?_" The voice sounded pissed off. "_Damn it Mac! I keep telling you not to eat so much fucking beans!_"

As if on cue, the unconscious guard let out a large, nosy fart that echoed throughout the entire cell. Both Kargo and Ke had to cover their noses and mouths to keep themselves from coughing and choking aloud—GODS, did it stink!

"_I heard that, Mac,_" the voice from the other end said in disgust. "_Geez…just fix the fucking camera and get back here. And don't eat anymore beans! We got enough fucking problems with the ozone layer without you adding to the problem._"

The walkie-talkie became silent; the other person had shut off. Ke then threw the walkie-talkie away, breaking it against the wall as both he and Kargo dashed out of the cell, gasping for clean air as they locked the cell behind them.

"Shit!" Kargo whimpered, still covering his nose. "That was the worst thing I ever had to go through!"

"I'm never going to eat beans for the rest of my life," Ke coughed, sliding down to the floor as he did so. "Good Heavens! My nostril hairs are burning!"

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

Jiro, Hideaki, and Master Roshi crept silently through the steel corridor, the small space lit only with soft florescent lights that came from the ceiling.

They had been walking for a while now, but surprisingly they hadn't gotten into too much trouble. They had come across very few guards, and they were easily avoided or taken care of. It seemed that security was almost non-existent; it was as if there were almost no people here expect for themselves and the treacherous Dr. Rei.

"This is weird," Jiro muttered, as they rounded the umpteenth corner in a row. "I thought that blaster-wielding jackasses would be all over us by now. What's with this?"

"I wouldn't complain," Hideaki said, giving Jiro a scolding glare. "Let's just find the others and get out of here before our good luck runs out!"

Jiro huffed. "What good luck?" he snapped. "You call us getting kidnapped, tortured, and threatened with death _good_ luck? I'd hate to know what you think _bad_ luck is."

The older Kutai's fingers twitched unpleasantly, and her arms made an upwards jerking motion towards Jiro's neck. In mid-jerk, however, Hideaki forced herself to remain calm. This was not the time to murder family members. Plenty of time to do that once they all escaped from this hellhole. _If_ they all escaped from this hellhole.

"At any rate," Jiro went on, unaware of his sister's growing distress, "how are we gonna find Sachiko and the freak? I can't feel their energy levels at all. It's like this place blocks ki on purpose!"

Hideaki said nothing. Instead, she took a deep breath, and closed her eyes as they rounded another corner.

_Stay calm, stay calm, stay calm…_

She grabbed Master Roshi's hand, which was wandering a little too close to her rear end. Instead of screaming at the old man, though, she instead held his hand tightly, pretending that Roshi's palm and fingers were miniature, irregularly-shaped stress balls that could be squeezed until the insides gushed out. She tightened her hold, and tried to control the raging blood in her veins.

This action, while stress-relieving to Hideaki, was causing the old man to have very, very _naughty_ thoughts. Roshi's nose was even bleeding slightly as he held onto the young woman's hand, already picking out the color of their future wedding cake.

"Almost a thousand years," Roshi said dreamily. "But! It's worth the wait, I suppose! Eh-heh-heh-heh!"

"What are you babbling about, you geezer?" Jiro snapped, his voice filled with irritation and frustration. The young boy turned his gaze towards his sister and the old man, only to raise a brow when he saw that Hideaki's eyes were closed, and that she was mumbling quietly to herself as Roshi held onto her hand, laughing in sheer ecstasy.

Jiro turned away, saying nothing. This was one of those moments were spoken comments would do the event injustice.

He'd just blackmail Hideaki later on with this information, and get his kicks that way.

He turned another corner, and found himself standing in front of a dead end. A second later his sister bumped against his back, and her eyes flew open as her concentration was broken. "Jiro!" she yelled in annoyance while she yanked her hand out of Roshi's. (The old man wept silently at this loss.) "What's the hold up?"

"We're at a dead end, genius," Jiro said sarcastically as he pointed to the steel obstacle before them. He rapped his knuckles against the wall, and pursed his lips. "It looks pretty thick. I don't know if I can blast my way through."

"Better not," Roshi said, his voice still slightly choked from having lost Hideaki's touch. "It could take a while, given our current physical states. And anyway, it would just attract unwanted attention."

"Then what do we do—" Hideaki started, but was cut off when she heard footsteps in the distance. The scientist gasped, and hid behind Roshi. "Oh god! It's a guard! Jiro, go out there and hurt him!"

Jiro rolled his eyes. "Weakling," he muttered. The minute a tall, shadowed figure turned around the corner, Jiro quickly formed a ball of blue ki in his hand and threw it at the figure's head. _Gotcha_, he thought with a smirk.

His smirk was wiped clean off his face when the figure caught the ki ball with a glowing, orange-red hand. The unknown person then chuckled, stepping out into the florescent lights as he extinguished the ki ball in his hand.

"You really ought to think of another trick," the young man said, his black trench coat swishing silently behind him. Removing his black shades from his eyes, Ryoushi crossed his arms and gave Jiro, Hideaki, and Roshi a chastising look. "Tsk, tsk, tsk," he whispered, shaking his head in disappointment like a parent to a child. "You all should have stayed where you were. I wasn't really going to kill you guys, but now that Rei knows you tried to escape…I might actually have to hurt you."

"S-stay the hell away from us!" Hideaki yelled, her trembling voice clashing horribly with her strong words. She hid further behind Roshi, and peeked out nervously over his shoulder. "For gods' sakes, just leave us alone!"

The bounty hunter sighed, and rubbed his temples. "Look, Hideaki. We can either do this the easy way or the hard way. I suggest you all come with me, and take what's coming to you like mature, civilized people. I may not even have to kill you all, if you guys just do as I say…"

"Like hell we're gonna listen to you!" Jiro yelled. Before anyone could stop him, the teen powered up and tackled Ryoushi around the waist with all his might. Taken completely off-guard, the bounty hunter gasped and fell backwards to the floor, where Jiro took the opportunity to pound every bit of Ryoushi that was within reach. Jiro punched Ryoushi's face again and again and again, stopping every once in a while to knee the man in the groin, in the stomach, in the abdomen. He then slammed the man's head repeatedly against the hard ground, not stopping even when he began to see blood.

This had to end! This had to end now!

"BAAAAAAAAAAH!" Suddenly, Ryoushi quickly regained his focus and flipped Jiro over onto his back, with Ryoushi now on top. The bounty hunter then grabbed Jiro's neck and began to viciously crush the boy's windpipe with his gloved fingers. Jiro choked, gasping as he tried to blast the man on the head, but he was rapidly losing air and was beginning to get lightheaded…

Poke, poke, dangle.

"HEY!"

Ryoushi looked up in outrage as one of his arms fell limp and useless at his side. With Ryoushi's grip on him suddenly loosened, and Jiro took the chance to knock the bounty hunter away, gasping in air as he crawled out of the harm's path. The bounty hunter took no notice of this, however. His target now changed, Ryoushi used his one good arm and threw a fierce orange-red blast at Roshi, who dived out of the way, pushing Hideaki to safety at the same time.

"Galick Gun!"

A large beam of purple ki shot out of Jiro's hands and collided straight with Ryoushi's back. The bounty hunter screamed as the hot energy ate at his skin, but he was cut off when Jiro smashed his foot into the man's face, sending Ryoushi flying into the walls with a loud _CRASH_!

"Oh yeah!" Jiro hooted as Ryoushi fell to the ground, clutching at his burned back and groaning. "Who's the man now, huh? You think you can take _me_? You think you can beat _me_? Hahaha—ACK!"

Jiro suddenly choked in mid-laughter. A hand, one stronger than that of Ryoushi's, had curled around his neck, and was currently squeezing every bit of breath he had out of his body. He gasped in pain when he felt sharp, long fingernails pinching into his neck, but his blood, which had been flowing hot with adrenaline just a few seconds ago, turned to ice at the sound of a feminine, monotone voice.

"You have caused delays and irritations," Rei said emotionlessly. "For that, you must be terminated."

He tried to turn his head with difficulty. From the corner of his eye, he thought he saw something tall and _green_ grabbing onto Roshi and Hideaki, something that looked eerily like _Kargo_…

He had no more breath. He passed out.

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

Tap.

Tap.

Tap.

"So how are we gonna find Sachi-chan again?" Kargo asked, rubbing his arms for warmth as they walked through the cold corridor. "I can't sense her energy at all. I can barely sense my own energy, for crying out loud!"

"This area was made so that ki users would have difficulty sensing the prescence of others," Ke explained. "It was done specifically so that you, Sachiko, and that loudmouth Jiro boy wouldn't cause too much trouble. Knowing that, Tsu's most likely holding Sachiko near the North section of the base. That's where the strongest cells are located, and that's where he's also holding Android Eighteen." Ke then paused for a moment. "Huh. That would be stupid of him, to keep both Dove and Eighteen there at the same time. The Northeast section of the base isn't fully constructed yet. We never received that last shipment of marble…"

Kargo gave Ke a curious stare. "Who's Android Eighteen?"

"Her? You met her!" Ke said, waving a hand in the air as if it wasn't an important matter. "She's someone who actually knew Goku from all those years ago. She's posing as some business woman now…she calls herself Kikai Ichihatsu, or something like that."

"WHAT?" Kargo's eyes nearly popped out of his head. "Kikai's an—an android? She—she's Krillin's wife? That—that means—" The Namek boy then made a face, and a noise of disgust. "EW! That means that Krillin fucked a—a _machine_! He did the nasty with a—a—EW!"

Throughout all this, Ke watched Kargo's outburst silently, with a small sweatdrop forming from the side of his head. "You know," the sixteen-year-old said nervously, "she's technically a cyborg, not an android. It's really a misnomer."

"GUY! MACHINE! SEX! NOT COOL, OKAY? NOT COOL!"

"Please don't shout. We'll get caught."

At that, Kargo became silent, through he still made vomiting noises every now and again, while muttering periodically to himself. "Guy…machine…_sex_…not right…"

Ke frowned, and continued through the dark corridors. "You're in no position to judge," the human boy said flatly. "You like Sachiko, and you're not even a member of her species. That's a little bit worse, don't you think?"

"Aieeee?" Kargo's face immediately became a dark purple, and his eyes widened to the size of dinner plates. The Namek turned his blushing face to the ground, and began to sputter indignantly. "That's—that's completely different! I—I knew her for years, and—and we share a special bond! I know that—that we're different species, and I'm _supposed_ to be asexual, but I just feel different around her, and—"

"That's enough!" Ke covered Kargo's mouth with his hand. "Good heavens, I was just making an observation! I don't need your soliloquy on why you love Sachiko!"

"I wasn't going to give a soliloquy!" Kargo protested.

Ke rolled his eyes. "Sure you weren't."

"…I really wasn't. It was gonna be more like a sonnet."

"Uh-huh."

As they silently moved on, using the access key card to move through rooms undetected, Kargo noticed something strangely familiar about his surroundings. As he looked around, he began to realize the echoes that their footsteps were making as they moved from room to room, from corridor to corridor.

Tap.

Tap.

Tap.

Steel corridors. Florescent lights from the ceiling. He was searching for something.

Tap.

Tap.

Tap.

This was déjà vu. This had happened before, he had _seen_ this somewhere. But where? Why did this seem familiar?

"Wait a minute, Kargo!" Ke said softly, stopping in front of a large door. The human boy ran his hand over door, and a small smile made its way to his lips. "Yes…I think this is where they're keeping the dragonballs!"

"The what?" Kargo snapped out of his stupor. He looked on stupidly as Ke slid the card key through the lock and pressed in a code. The door then slid open, revealing a room full of lights.

The room completely contrasted the dark steel corridor. Inside, the area was full of bright lights, mostly coming from blinking machines and blaring computer screens. It was actually _warm_ inside the room, and Kargo felt drawn to the heat that had escaped his half-chilled body for so long.

But there was something else in the room, something that outshone the lights of the machines and computer screens. There were seven items in the room, all separated and each contained under glass cases. Despite their separation, each one of these seven items glowed a bright yellow, filling the room with an eerie shine that seemed surreal and, in some ways, supernatural.

The seven dragonballs blinked happily at him, beckoning him to come and collect them.

"You were right," Kargo whispered. "They were here. How did you know, Ke?"

There was no answer.

"Well? How did you know? You were locked up in the cell with me too, so how did you find out about this?"

Still no answer.

The Namek turned to his companion in annoyance at this new silent treatment, only to realize that Ke was no longer there. Kargo blinked, and looked around wildly to see where the boy had gone, but there was no sign of the shaggy haired human anywhere.

A million thoughts ran through his head at once. None of them were good.

_Betrayal, kidnapping, torture, mutiny…_

He had to get out of there.

Kargo took a step towards the Four Star Ball, Sachiko's favorite dragonball, and drew his fist back. He might not be able to get all of the dragonballs, but without all seven, those lunatics wouldn't be able to summon the dragon. And he'd score some brownie points with Sachiko in the meantime!

He was about to break the glass when someone suddenly grabbed his wrist with an iron grip. Kargo gasped—the grip was so painful that he could actually feel the blood getting cut off from his limb. He turned his head around, with the full intent of biting his captor's hand…when he realized that the hand was green.

_Oh shit…_

Kargo turned his gaze further upward. The hand was connected to a pink and green arm. The arm was covered partially with a white sleeve. The white sleeve was part of a black-and-white gi, and the person wearing the gi was none other than…

"Dad!" Kargo cried, his eyes widening when he saw his father for the first time in months. Though much time had passed, Kargo remembered, albeit reluctantly, exactly what his father looked like, from the tips of his felt boots to the last throbbing vein in his forehead. However, to his horror, the Namek male in front of him was severely, terrifyingly altered.

There were _wires_ and _metals_ attached to Piccolo's head, forming some twisted sort of helmet on the Namek's cranium. The eyes, once an obsidian black, were now white and without pupils, giving Piccolo the look of a mindless demon from Hell.

Kargo remembered that his father always had a stern expression on his face, but Piccolo always had good intentions, never malicious ones. The face of this adult Namek looked positively crazed. There was no hint of kindness at all, no trace of fatherly worry and anger that Kargo had grown used to seeing. No, this Namek had a face full of _hatred_, hatred that Kargo had never seen on Piccolo's face before.

This look scared him.

Piccolo's grip tightened to the point of impossible pain, and Kargo almost keeled over as he lost all feeling in his right hand. "D-dad!" Kargo whispered, trying his hardest not to cry. "Shit, let go! You're gonna rip off my hand! I NEED THAT HAND!"

"Heh…heh…"

Only hard breathing and grunts met his ears, and Kargo nearly screamed when Piccolo simply tightened his hold even more. He was going to lose his limb!

"Stop it, dad! STOP IT!"

"Heh! Heh!"

There was no choice. Kargo squeezed his eyes shut, and focused all of his energy to his free arm. "Sorry!" he cried, before he aimed his glowing hand at his father's face. "Gekiretsukodan!" he yelled.

Immediately a large burst of ki emerged from his hand, hitting his father smack in the face. Piccolo roared in pain as he released Kargo, clutching at his burned face as he shrieked and screamed in agony. Kargo wasted no time; he immediately broke the glass case of the Four Star Ball and grabbed the dragonball, before he turned on his heel and ran out of the bright room as fast as his legs could carry him.

He had to get away. He had to get away!

Suddenly, he felt something grab the back of his hoodie, and the front of his shirt was pulled tightly against his throat, cutting off his air passage with a sudden _whoosh_. Kargo stopped dead as his own hoodie choked him, and he felt a strong green arm wrap itself tightly around his chest. "NO!" he screamed, as his own father pulled him down and pinned him against the ground. "DAD! LET GO! LET ME GO!"

"HEH! HEH!"

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

Kikai's walking had improved during their escape. After several minutes, the blonde no longer needed to lean on Sachiko to walk, but she was still upset over her current state of dress.

"I wish I had my clothes back," Kikai muttered, tugging at the stained white hospital gown in distaste. "This is a fashion nightmare. Gods, what I wouldn't give for a genuine cotton sweater and some slacks right about now…"

"You don't look too bad, Kikai-san," Sachiko said politely, as they made their way through the dark hallways. "You make the yucky dress seem prettier by wearing it."

Kikai snorted. "I thought I told you to stop flattering me, kid."

"I'm not!" Sachiko insisted. "If I was flat-ten-ing you, then I'd be telling a lie! That's bad!"

The older woman pressed a hand to her forehead, and sighed. "Of course. I forget who I'm speaking to. You're Muzai Sachiko, the girl with the moral compass of a saint, and the mental comprehensiveness of a fruit fly."

"What's a moral compass?" Sachiko asked curiously. "What's a mental com-pre-hen-see-ness?"

Silence.

"Kikai-san?"

"Never mind. It's not important."

"Oh. Okay!"

Kikai sighed again.

The two continued walking, until they spotted something bright shining ahead. Kikai blinked at the light, but Sachiko, who had a sharper nose than Kikai did, began to squeal with excitement. "Kikai-san!" she exclaimed, practically bouncing up and down in her joy. "Can't you smell that? Can't you smell the fresh air?"

"Fresh air?" Kikai blinked at the light as Sachiko dragged her towards it. "You serious? We've actually found an exit?"

"My nose does not lie!" Sachiko chirped, and she pulled the older woman even harder towards the light, which was now revealing itself to be a large gaping _hole_ in the side of the building. White marble lay everywhere, especially around the area of the hole, and upon finally reaching the unfinished piece of wall, Sachiko peered outside, finding herself peeking out at a half-completed construction site.

But this didn't matter. Half-completed construction site or not, this was a site that led straight to the outside world.

"This is it!" Sachiko cried, poking her head out of the hole. "We're out!"

"Thank gods!" Kikai groaned. She stepped through the unfinished wall, and pulled Sachiko over the mound of construction. "Now we can get as far away from here as possible, and forget that this hell even exists!"

Sachiko nodded, before she suddenly stopped. Her eyes widened, and a terrified look overcame her features. "Hold on! What about Kargo and Jiro? We can't just leave them! We have to go back for them!"

"WHAT? I am not going back in there, kid! That would be suicide!"

"But we can't just leave them here!" Sachiko protested. She turned back and again stepped through the hole, going back into the building. "You can go, Kikai-san, but I'm gonna save my best friends! They mean everything to me, and I'll never leave them!"

"Sachiko!" Kikai grabbed the small girl's arm, and held it in a vice-like grip. "I am not going to let you go back there. I don't care how much you act like him; you're NOT Goku!"

"I'm not trying to be!" Sachiko yelled back. "I'm just trying to do what's right!"

"Ahahahaha!" A cheery, congenial voice suddenly broke through the argument. "Oh, how _touching_! How simply _marvelous_! Would you mind saying all that again? Oh, you're so brave and admirable, my dear child! Ahahahaha!"

Sachiko and Kikai whirled around to see Tsu standing outside. The old master was sitting on a large piece of white marble, and he was holding his sides tightly as he bent over and laughed with much mirth.

While Tsu was choking on his own laughter, the faces of both Sachiko and Kikai became pallid, paling to the color of skim milk. The woman and child both took a step away from the old man, with Kikai pushing Sachiko behind her in an almost protective manner as she glared at the still guffawing man.

"What do you want from us?" Kikai asked Tsu quietly, when he finally stopped laughing. Her voice calm and steady, but her clenching fists betrayed her true emotions, and both Tsu and Sachiko caught this.

This made Sachiko very worried. _Maybe I should have listened to Kikai-san…_

"Well, my dear Eighteen," Tsu said, his voice as cheerful as ever, "You two are in the middle of escaping. Normally, I wouldn't care about escapees, but—" Tsu's lips curved into a wicked smile "—you happen to be _my_ escapees. That makes it problematic, because that makes you lovely ladies _my_ responsibility."

"How about this?" Sachiko peeped out from behind Kikai, and gave Tsu her sweetest smile. "How about you just let us go, and we all pretend that we never met each other in our lives?"

The idea was so simple, so sudden in its presentation that for a moment both Tsu and Kikai just stared at the small child. "What?" Sachiko asked, growing nervous under the stares of the adults. "_What_? It's easy enough to do, and nobody gets hurt!"

"Hurt?" Tsu stared at the small girl a second longer, before small series of laughs began to escape his lips. "Ah…haha…ahahahahaha!" The old man again bent over, his body shaking with laughter that seemed to rack the master to the very core of his bones. "Hahahahahahaha! Hahahahahahaha!"

"Would you shut up?" Kikai yelled, her voice becoming stronger in volume, but less in steadiness. "We're not playing a damn game here!"

"Kikai, we should just run!" Sachiko whispered out loud. "He's scaring me!"

Here, Tsu abruptly stopped laughing, and turned his scarf covered head towards Sachiko. "I'm afraid I can let you do that, my lovely child," Tsu said cheerfully, though his voice now had that unknown edge to it. "If I let you go, my whole plan goes down the drain. Of course, I could always try to salvage some of the plan, but that takes too much time, and I'm feeling a bit lazy as of late…" Tsu stood up, and walked slowly towards Kikai and Sachiko. "Now…be good, you two. Come back with me, and there will be no need for violence…"

Kikai's fists clenched even more as the old master stepped towards them. Sachiko felt the older woman's hands shake ever so slightly as Tsu came closer and closer, and then suddenly, she felt Kikai grab her shoulders and push her roughly to the side, sending her flying into a pile of powdered cement.

"RUN!" the blonde yelled, before she powered up and launched herself at Tsu, who was stunned as he blocked and dodged several rapid punches and kicks from the now furious Kikai. Sachiko, who sat up in the pile of cement, coughed and brushed the powder off as she stumbled away to safety. There was no time to dawdle here—she had to get out, and find help!

She had gotten no more than twenty feet away from the fighting pair when she felt a hand grab her shoulder, causing her to stop dead. Sachiko blinked—the grip wasn't painful, but it wasn't gentle either. Yet for some reason, she had the strangest feeling that she felt that same hand once before…

She looked up, and gasped.

"P-piccolo-san?" Her eyes widened in shock. "W-what happened to you?"

The adult Namek in front of her didn't say anything—nothing intelligible, anyway. He was speaking in a series of grunts and babbles that made absolutely no sense to her ears, and his altered state, the wires and metals circulating around his head, was terrifying to look at.

What had they DONE to him?

Her fear was greater than her reverence for the guardian of the earth. Sachiko quickly twisted herself out of Piccolo's grasp before he had a chance to tighten it, and she quickly increased her ki level, which was much easier to do now that she was outside…

"YOU WORTHLESS FOOL!" Tsu yelled suddenly, his voice becoming monstrously angry as he pinned Kikai's arms behind her back. "Don't let the child power up! We're outside—she could get detected!"

Piccolo grunted in reply, and quickly sped towards Sachiko, who eeped and quickly dodged the attacking Namek, sending him crashing into a large pile of white marble.

"Ooooh." Sachiko winced as Piccolo slowly pulled himself out of the rubble, looking somewhat dazed. "Normally he fights better than that…"

"AAAHHHH!"

Sachiko whirled around, just in time to see Tsu throw Kikai back into the building. Keeping a tight hold on her feet, the old master used the woman's body as a sort of baseball bat as he threw her against the steel wall again and again, creating larger and larger dents against the steel and marble as he pummeled her body into mush…

Sachiko watched this with horror, with unspoken fear.

_What is this?_ _This isn't fighting! This is…is…_

"LEAVE HER ALONE!" the small child screamed, powering up to the highest of her conscious ability. "STOP HURTING HER! _STOP IT!_" She formed several white energy balls in her hands, and threw them all at the old man.

This caught Tsu's attention. The old master stopped his brutal beating of Kikai and tossed the blonde aside as if she was nothing more than trash, before he stretched out his hands and caught every ball of ki that Sachiko sent in his direction. With each catch, he merged the white balls into one very large ki ball until Sachiko finally stopped hurling ki at him. Then, Tsu placed his hands over the ki ball, squeezed the ball tightly, and made the ball disappear with a quiet _poof_. He then crossed his arms and turned his covered gaze towards the small child, giving her a smile through his mouth opening.

"Is that all you've got, child?" Tsu asked gently.

Sachiko growled, and took a different stance. Her feet were spread apart, and she held her hands to her side. Focusing all her ki into her hands, she narrowed her eyes when a bright blue glow finally began to emit from them. "Ka…me…ha…me…HA!"

She thrusted her hands forward, and a large beam of blue ki exploded from her palms, heading straight towards the old master. They were at too close a distance, the beam was sure to hit!

Suddenly, Tsu mirrored her stance. His own hands began to glow white, and just before the Kamehameha Wave hit him, he thrusted his own hands forward and _caught_ the beam.

Sachiko stared at this in shock. Tsu was holding the beam in his hands, and slowly, the Wave turned from blue to white. Tsu then turned his body around full circle, dragging the white beam with him, and then…

…he thrusted the Wave right back at her.

Sachiko shrieked when she saw her own energy flying back towards her. She made a move to dodge, but suddenly she felt something grab her feet, holding her in place. She glanced down, and felt her blood freeze in her veins when she saw Piccolo holding onto her ankles.

"Piccolo-san!" she screamed. "What are you doing? LEGGO!"

The Namek only grunted and babbled.

Then, there was pain.

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

Goku stopped, his eyes widening. "I found her!" he cried. "I found her!"

"Where?" Baba looked around. "Where is she, Goku?"

Goku grinned, and held to fingers to his forehead. "Hold on Baba. I'm gonna use Instant Transmission to get us—" Suddenly, he stopped. "Uh…where'd she go?"

"What's going on now?" Baba demanded. "Can you take us to her or not?"

"I—I lost her!" Goku wailed. "I just had her a second ago! Sachi-chan, why are you doing this to me? THIS ISN'T NICE!"

Baba groaned, and pressed a hand to her forehead. "Darn it Goku…just try to think. In which direction did you feel her energy?"

"Over there," Goku said, pointing FAR to the east. "It was coming from there…"

"Then just fly there. We have no time to lose, Goku. You're only due here for a few days, and we _must_ find this child!"

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

**Kargo: We're doomed. No sense in making it dramatic.**

**Jiro: Uh-huh. We're no superheroes, if that's what you're thinking.**

**Sachiko: Oh come on, guys! Be positive! Maybe a miracle will happen!**

**Kargo: Psh. As if. What are the chances that Goku's gonna find us in time? Zip, that's what!**

**Sachiko: But…**

**Jiro: We're doomed. Accept it Sachiko.**

**Sachiko: …WAAAAAAAAAAAAH!**

**Kargo: Idiot! You made her cry!**

**Jiro: I'm being realistic! If she can't take it, then she shouldn't be the heroine!**

**Kargo: For the love of…just read and review, readers.**


	43. An Act of Desperation

Kargo: Our author owns only us. That's pretty obvious by now…

Jiro: Wow. Last chapter got only one review. TURMOIL must be losing her touch.

Sachiko: Don't say that! If TURMOIL hears you, she'll become even more depressed than she already is! That's the last thing we want!

Jiro: Feh. Anyway…the weather's finally warm! It's time to go to the—

Kargo: The beach! (Takes off clothes, revealing blue swimming trunks)

Sachiko: OOOOH! You look handsome, Kargo!

Kargo: (Blushes)

Jiro: (Fumes) AY! We're not going to the beach! I hate the beach! I was GONNA say that it's time to go to country carnivals, great wildernesses where we can have picnics and spar all day long!

Sachiko: Picnics? Hmm…

Kargo: But Sachi-chan! You always said that you wanted to spend a relaxing day at the beach, while stuffing yourself full of ice-cream! Remember? Ice-cream…?

Sachiko: (Drools) Ice-cream…my fifth favorite food in the whole world! I must have the ice-cream! TO THE BEACH! (Rips off clothes, revealing yellow bikini with pictures of teddy bears on it)

Kargo: (Blushes even more) Ah.

Jiro: (Turns pink) Ah.

Sachiko: (Oblivious) Ice-cream! Lots of vanilla! Chocolate is good too…and strawberry…

Jiro: (Takes off clothes, revealing black swimming trunks) Maybe the beach isn't so bad after all.

Random Male Audience Member: We wanna see Android Eighteen in a swimsuit!

Sachiko: Come on, guys! I WANT THAT ICE-CREAM! (Drags Kargo and Jiro out of "Start Up" studio)

_**Chapter Forty-Three: An Act of Desperation**_

The worst part was that she was still awake.

It was beyond comprehension. Under normal circumstances she would have, no, _should_ have been able to avoid an attack like that. However, due to a combination of shock, fear, and the fact that Piccolo-san had held her down, she had literally become the living example of "a sitting duck." Thus, when her Kamehameha Wave—her beloved Goku-san's signature attack—had been _reflected_ right back at her face, Sachiko had been unable to dodge the blast, and had been hit head-on with the full strength of the deadly beam.

There was no scream upon impact. The Wave sliced cleanly through her body like a hot knife through butter, and though her eyes widened from shock, though her mouth gaped like a fish out of water, she made no noise. Instead, her body was thrown backwards like a rag doll, where it landed with a soft _thump_ upon the dusty ground.

_Sweet mother of Amaterasu…I'm dying._

At least, she _thought_ she was dying. The pain that stuck her was so immense that it was impossible to _not_ think that she was going to die, especially when she realized that there a huge, bloody wound in the center of her chest. She felt the bright red blood spill on the ground, seeping into her long, dark blue hair.

Gods, how she hated the color red.

At that moment, everything around her became hazy and indistinguishable. She was only vaguely aware of someone yelling…a woman crying…and her own, feeble gasps as she tried to breathe with her collasping lungs.

_Kikai-san…please, run away from here. You have to find the others…you have to save them…_

She felt a hand on her head.

It was a rough hand, full of calluses that had the texture of sandpaper. Her vision had become blurry, thus she wasn't able to see who was touching her…however, she recognized the feeling of this person's hand. She tried to squirm away, tossing her head weakly from side to side in order to get the old master to see that she didn't want him near her.

"Foolish child," she heard Tsu whisper. His voice sounded distant, as if he was speaking from a distance.

She tried to say something when she felt Tsu's large, strong hands press themselves against her wound. Pain rippled through her body and a choked, horse wheeze ripped itself from her throat…her last, pathetic attempt at screaming. This action also proved to be a mistake—the minute she opened her mouth, Tsu pressed a small bottle to her lips and forced her to drink a warm, bitter tasting liquid. She coughed and gagged as the substance was forced down her throat, but she could do nothing.

Good gods, why wasn't she dead yet? Why didn't the heavens at least allow her the gift of being unconscious, so that she wouldn't have to feel all this pain?

Heat suddenly flooded through her body, centering primarily on her chest. Sachiko felt a jerking motion as she gasped for air, her lungs suddenly regaining its ability to expand. The hot sensation spread all the way from her head to the tips of her toes, overcoming the pain while replacing it with a feeling of numbness. Her breathing then became regulated, and her sight returned.

Her wound was gone, although her shirt now had a huge, bloodstained hole in it, exposing her small, white chest to the world. Above her, Sachiko saw a scarf covered head, the scarf covering every part of the face expect for the person's mouth. She felt her body tense when the mouth twisted into a grin, and she tried to get up.

Nothing. Her limbs were numb and useless. They wouldn't move.

_What did you do to me?_ Sachiko tried to ask this to the old man, but all that came out of her numbed mouth was a gargling sound. Her tongue felt like a block of wood that wouldn't be moved, and her lips felt glued together, for they refused to part.

Tsu must have obviously seen her distress, for he laughed softly into her ear a second later. "Don't worry, my lovely child," he whispered comfortingly. "You'll regain full use of your body in a couple of hours. Consider this as an unfortunate side effect."

Sachiko could only continue to gargle helplessly as the old master picked her up and carried her back into the steel base.

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

"DAMN YOU! I HATE YOU, YOU HEAR ME DAD? _I HATE YOU!_"

Kargo kicked and flailed as his father dragged him through the base, holding onto his arm with a grip of iron. Despite all the punches, scratches, kicks, and bites that his son delivered to his frame, Piccolo remained as unresponsive as ever as they continued on to wherever it is they were headed off to.

"YOU CAN'T FUCKING DO THIS! YOU'RE GONNA RUIN EVERYTHING!"

Still no response; only a hard yank on his arm gave Kargo a clue that the adult Namek before him heard _anything_.

He couldn't believe that this. Was this really his father? Was this really the same stiff, uptight, worrywart of a Namek whom he had lived with for almost thirteen years? Kargo hissed and bared his fangs. "This is the work of those lunatics, isn't it? Dr. Rei and that weird guy Tsu…they did this to you, didn't they?"

Piccolo grunted. Kargo looked up, and saw that a muscle in his father's cheek was twitching. He had hit a nerve. Was his father still in there, underneath all that metal wiring? Kargo tugged at his captive arm again, this time with a pleading look on his face.

"Say something, Dad! Give me a sign that you're still in there! Show me that those loons haven't completely scrambled your brain!"

There was more grunting. Piccolo suddenly stopped in his tracks—his head began to jerk continuously to the side, and his eyes rolled back into his head as his breaths became shorter, harsher, and faster.

"Dad!" Kargo yelled. "Fight it! FIGHT IT!"

Without warning, a large spackle of electricity suddenly emerged from Piccolo's metal helmet. The adult Namek began to scream as he fell to the ground, his body writhing and twisting in pain and agony. In the confusion he had released his grip on Kargo, but the Namek boy was too stunned to even comprehend that this was his chance to escape.

Kargo then heard footsteps from behind him, and he turned to see a woman walking mechanically towards them, a rather mousy looking woman who wore glasses so thick that they obscured her eyes from view.

Dr. Rei.

She said nothing as she approached the two Nameks. Kargo saw that one of her arms was raised, and in that arm, she was holding what appeared to be a remote of some kind. Before Kargo could speak, the doctor quickly pressed a green button, which resulted in Piccolo's screams finally dying down. The adult Namek's breath came out in ragged gasps as he shakily got to his feet, and stared at Dr. Rei with a lifeless stare.

"You are becoming low in value," Rei said in her emotionless tone. "You are not following orders. Do you not realize that your servitude is the only reason why we kept you alive? Or need I remind you?" The doctor's finger moved dangerously close to the green button, and Piccolo, surprisingly, made a little noise of fear. Rei smiled. "Good. Now, take the boy."

This last statement snapped Kargo out of his stupor. Realizing that there was now no way to bring his father back, he tried to make a run for it, only to have Piccolo grab his arm again and haul him off, grunting and twitching as if the entire conversation never happened.

Kargo hung his head. This was it, then. There was no way out of this. He sadly touched the Four Star Ball that was hidden in the inner pocket of his hoodie.

_Sachi…I'm sorry. I tried._

When they finally reached a large set of steel double doors, Rei slid her key card through the required slot. With a series of beeps and flashing lights, the doors opened to reveal a large, spacious room that had dozens of computers and machines set up against the walls and pushed into the corners. The machines flickered with light, while the computer screens displayed nothing but hard-to-read green text, all encased in a black background. Kargo didn't even attempt to read the screens—it just made his eyes hurt.

There was a ridiculous amount of space in the center of the room, and in the dim light, Kargo could see three people on the ground. His jaw dropped when he realized who they were.

_Master Roshi…Hideaki…Jiro?_

All three people were on their knees, with their hands handcuffed behind them. They were all bent over at the waist until their foreheads were touching the ground, and while two of the three were kneeling very quietly, the third one was growling and muttering with much fervor.

Jiro.

Seeing Jiro in such a submissive position was a first for Kargo, but the reason was soon explained. Hovering above them menacingly was Ryoushi Ganjou, who had a ball of orange-red ki in his hand in case any of his prisoners got rowdy. Ryoushi was particularly watchful over Jiro, who was hissing and cursing rather loudly at the increasingly infuriated bounty hunter.

"Ganjou!" Jiro snarled viciously, lifting his head to glare at the bounty hunter with hatred. "You fucking jerk! I hope those assholes are paying you enough to DIE for them!"

"Keep your mouth shut!" Ryoushi snapped, smacking the younger boy upside the head. "You're in no position to be making threats, you little maggot."

Jiro muttered something unintelligible, but Kargo knew that it was most likely derogatory. Ryoushi, on his part, merely snorted and went back to his watchdog duty.

"I'm not gonna kneel," Kargo said loudly, attracting the attention of everyone in the room. "I'd prefer not to sink to the level that Jiro's in, thank you very much." Hideaki and Roshi's eyes widened as they lifted their heads at the sound of his voice, but Jiro immediately shot straight up and gave Kargo a look of absolute fury.

"Freak!" the human teen yelled, almost lunging at the Namek boy as Ryoushi held him back. "You idiot! You got caught too? I thought you'd break out and get us all out of here!"

"Excuse me?" Kargo raised an annoyed brow, forgetting for a moment that he was in a life threatening situation. "Since when did it become _my_ responsibility to save us all, rich boy?"

"It's your fucking job!" Jiro hissed. "You're the 'Plan' guy!"

"Eh? I am _not_ the 'Plan' guy! Hideaki's the 'Plan' guy of the group!"

"Leave me out of this!" Hideaki cried, lowering her head against the ground. "I'm currently in the middle of an emotional breakdown right now, and I don't want to have to listen to another one of your stupid arguments before I die! And I am not the 'Plan' GUY!" she added angrily, lifting her head once again. "I am the 'Plan' WOMAN!"

"Would you all shut up?" Ryoushi roared, finally losing his patience. "Geez! What the hell is the matter with you people? Aren't you all supposed to be friends, or something?"

Silence. Kargo, Jiro, Hideaki, and Master Roshi all exchanged glances, before all four people shrugged nonchalantly.

"I just met them a few days back," Roshi said meekly, keeping his forehead low to the ground. "I'm more of an acquaintance, really."

"I was forced into this by my father," Hideaki grumbled. "He _made _me come along. Do you really think I _want_ to be here? Do you really think I _want_ to be hog-tied, while death is right around the corner? I could be at home right now, eating chocolate cream pie with Katsu…"

"I just came along for the dragonballs," Jiro said as-a-matter-of-factly.

"I don't really like any of them," Kargo agreed, earning him a growl from Jiro. "I just started the whole dragonball hunt for Sachi-chan."

"Oh yeah!" Jiro exclaimed. "Sachiko! I also came along for her."

"WHAT?" Kargo stared at Jiro in a mixture of surprise and disbelief. "You fucking liar! You didn't even know Sachiko when we started this stupid journey!"

"I got to know her along the way!" Jiro snapped back, his own blue eyes narrowing. "I now happen to find her very…cute…in a platonic way, of course!" he said quickly, flushing in embarrassment as he received strange stares from Ryoushi, Hideaki, and Roshi, while getting a furious glare from Kargo. "I-I'm not in any way attracted to her in a romantic manner! That wouldn't do, seeing as we have our age differences and class differences and…and…"

"And the fact that you're related?" Kargo added snidely.

"SHUT YOUR GODDAMN GREEN MOUTH, FREAK! UNLESS GOKU OR VEGETA COMES HERE AND CONFIRMS THAT FACT TO ME _IN PERSON_, I WILL NEVER BELIEVE IT!"

"What the fuck are you all screeching about?" Ryoushi yelled, wringing his hair with his hands. "Are you all crazy? Dr. Rei!" The bounty hunter turned to the silent woman with a look of desperation in his eyes. "Make them shut up!"

A loud clearing of the throat interrupted the noisy fiasco, and everyone in the room turned to the door, where Tsu was now walking in with the weakly struggling Sachiko in his arms.

She looked horrible. She looked so tired, so weak…wait a minute. Kargo did a double take. There was a large hole in her shirt, particularly around the torso are. Was her…was her chest entirely _exposed_?

"Sachiko!" Kargo and Jiro both made a move towards her, only to be held back by Piccolo and Ryoushi. Kargo bared his fangs at his father, while Jiro let out a howl of curses at the bounty hunter, but neither of their captors seemed fazed by this show of bravado. (Well, Ryoushi looked as if he was about to strangle Jiro, but he kept himself in check.)

Rei immediately stepped aside for the old master, and behind Tsu followed another copy of Piccolo, who in turn was dragging along a much wounded Kikai. Kargo's jaw dropped when he saw the doppelganger of his father, but when a third clone emerged from the shadows, his mind came to a sudden and abrupt halt.

His father was still able to make copies of himself, even when his mind was enslaved.

_Shit. Not good._

Suddenly, the Piccolo that was holding him tossed him aside to the ground, where Kargo fell hard on his bottom with a pained, "Ow!" The second Piccolo, the one holding Kikai, let the blonde woman fall to the floor as he stepped towards his counterpart. In seconds, the two merged into one being, only to be joined by the third Piccolo. Then, from three, there was now only one.

Kargo couldn't decide if this was better or worse.

There was a soft moan. Kargo looked down and saw Kikai attempting to get up. The Namek boy bent down to help her—then immediately recoiled in horror when he saw the very _robotic_ looking arm and leg that were now attached to her body. The metal body parts gave off sparks of electricity as Kikai pushed herself up with her arms, finally managing to sit up as her body shook from fatigue.

What was it that Ke said to him not too long ago? That Kikai was different? That she was really an…an…an android! Android Eighteen! Krillin's wife…

Kargo suddenly felt the urge to puke.

"Shit, woman!" Jiro cried to Kikai from his kneeling position. "What the fuck happened to you? What the hell happened to your arm and leg?"

Kikai, who was breathing heavily at this point, opened her mouth to answer when she was suddenly kicked in the side by Rei. The blonde woman cried out in pain and keeled over, clutching at her side as the middle-aged, emotionless doctor turned to Jiro with an empty stare.

"Be quiet," Rei said tonelessly to Jiro. "That matter is not of any importance at this moment." Ignoring Jiro's none-too-quiet mutters, Rei turned to Tsu with a frown. "Our lesser has vanished. He was not with the Namek child, and our men cannot locate him."

"Leave him alone," Tsu said carelessly. He looked down at the increasingly mobile Sachiko, and smiled. "At any rate, we have other things to take care of."

Sachiko twisted weakly in the old master's arms, attempting and failing to get away. "Let me go…or I'll kick you," she croaked in a low voice. This threat (if you could call it that) had the opposite effect of what Sachiko was aiming for. Tsu, instead of getting irritated by his captive's refusal to cooperate, merely laughed with amusement and held her even tighter to his body.

"Oh, isn't she _adorable_, Rei dear?" the old master gushed, cradling Sachiko to his chest as if she was his own child. "Isn't she simply _divine_? Oh, we simply _must_ keep her, if only for our entertainment. Such cuteness is a rarity these days!"

Keep her? KEEP HER? "You'll do no such thing!" Kargo bellowed, and lunged at the old master, only to get punched in the jaw by his father in mid-leap. He ended up crashing _hard_ onto the cold floor, and for a moment all he could see was stars.

_Ow, my head…ow, my head…ow, my head…_

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

Jiro winced as he watched Kargo crash face-first into the floor. Across the room, he could hear Sachiko wail faintly, only to be hushed by Tsu as he jostled her in his arms.

"Now, now," the old master whispered soothingly. "Don't fret, child. The boy isn't dead…yet. But if he keeps up that pompous attitude of his, even I can't guarantee that he'll live to see the day."

"Kargo, you idiot!" Jiro heard Hideaki whisper. "Hold your damn temper, for crying out loud!"

Jiro watched, with a raised head, as the larger Namek Piccolo hoisted Kargo in the air by the neck. There was a choking sound, and Jiro glimpsed Kargo kicking feebly as Piccolo rammed him against the wall, effectively pinning his son into a immovable position.

"Leave him alone," Sachiko croaked. "Stop hurting Kargo. Stop hurting Kikai-san. And let them go!" Jiro saw Sachiko try to point at him, Hideaki, and Master Roshi, but her arm only moved an inch or two in the air, before it fell limply against her side.

Jiro blinked. What was wrong with her? Never in all their travels had he seen her this vulnerable. This change was sudden, startling, and strange to him, and he didn't like it at all.

"OW!" he yelped when a hand suddenly grabbed his hair by the roots, yanking at it with tremendous strength. Despite his pain, he managed to look up as Ryoushi dragged him by the hair towards Kargo and Kikai, who was being lined up side by side in front of Sachiko and Tsu.

"Bastard!" he hissed, only to be silenced by a sharp tug on the head by Ryoushi. _For the love of the gods, he could at least loosen his grip a little bit!_

"What are you doing to my brother?" Hideaki yelled, attempting to stand. "Let go of him! Don't make me come after you, you son-of-a—AIEEE!" Hideaki shrieked as her legs buckled from underneath her.

"Hideaki!" Master Roshi cried out, twisting his body towards the ailing woman. "Are you alright?"

"My legs are asleep!" Hideaki whimpered.

"…oh."

"Damn it, Hideaki!" Jiro screamed. "I'm getting dragged by the freakin' _hair_, and you're more concerned with your legs being aslee—OW! Would you let go already? You're gonna rip my damn hair out!"

Ryoushi ignored Jiro as he pulled the boy to his feet (still by the hair) and pushed him towards Kargo and Kikai, where he bumped into Kargo none-too-gently. "Watch it," the Namek boy growled. Despite the Kargo's obvious annoyance, however, his black eyes were clouded and disoriented, as if he was still recovering from his hit.

Not that Jiro cared. "Why don't you go off and fuck yourself?" Jiro retorted, grinning when Kargo became even more annoyed than before. Unfortunately, his victory was short-lived; the pain in his scalp took out any bit of satisfaction he might have gotten from his successful insult.

AGH! What he wouldn't give to break out of his damn handcuffs! Then he'd show all of those lunatics who they were messing with! But Rei…she made the cursed things out of the specially designed metal that were almost impossible to break through. A good ki blast would have taken care of matters, but he couldn't reach…

Drawing out a chair from the end of the room, Tsu sat down in front of the three captives while placing Sachiko squarely on his lap. The small girl squirmed and twisted to get away, but her movements were small and had no force behind them.

"Take your hands off her!" Kikai and Kargo both yelled, only to be slapped into silence by Rei.

In the meantime, Jiro found his face suddenly growing warm. He had a clear view of Sachiko's exposed chest. Not that there was anything to see, for she _was_ only ten-years-old, but still...Kargo apparently had the same idea, for a second later Jiro received a sharp kick in the shin from the Namek boy.

Jiro reminded himself to kill Kargo in the worst way possible if they ever got out of this alive.

Tsu took off his expensive coat and wrapped the material around Sachiko's shoulders, effectively covering up her indecent state of dress. The small girl peered up at him in surprise, but let out a squeak when she was forced to face Kargo, Jiro, and Kikai. The old master smiled at the young girl, and said quietly, "Now, my dear child…how much do you care about these three people in front of you?"

"Eh?" Jiro, Kargo, and Kikai all exchanged confused looks.

What the hell was this old geezer up to?

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

The goat herder blinked at the odd couple in front of him, not entirely sure of what to say.

He had never seen anyone—or _anything_, now that he thought about it—quite like the two people standing in front of him at this very moment. Seriously, it wasn't often that he met a tall man with outrageous, spiky hair who was wearing an orange-and-blue fighting gi. Fighting wasn't that common around the mountain area, save the few rigorous athletes that climbed the rockiest slopes to train. And even more astounding; accompanying this strange fighter was a midget woman with pink hair, who was dressed like a witch and was floating on a crystal ball.

Yes, she was floating. No other word quite described what her crystal ball was doing.

"Have you seen anyone pass by here, lately?" the tall fighter asked, scratching the back of his head nervously. "We're looking for a little girl and two boys…they might have passed by here."

"Uh…" The goat herder shook his head stupidly. "I haven't seen anyone or anything but my goats."

"What about strange occurrences?" the midget witch asked, floating upwards so that she was speaking to him face-to-face. "Did anything unusual happen here in the last few months?"

"Months?" The fighter stared at the witch in confusion, but the witch ignored him.

"Uh…" The goat herder blinked uncertainly. "Well…there was some construction taking place some odd miles away from here."

"Construction?" the witch repeated.

"Yeah. Like some kind of building…a big one. I don't know why anyone would want to build out here, though. There's no sight of civilization for miles, unless you count my small village here. But that's about it."

"Which way is it to that building?" the witch asked. "What does it look like?"

The goat herder shrugged. "I dunno. I've never seen it. But you should keep heading east. That's where it's located, I think."

The witch stared at the goat herder for a moment, before she turned to the fighter. "I think that's it, Goku," the witch said. "We have to get there at once."

"But what does a building have to do with Sachi-chan?" the fighter asked, now very confused. "How does that help us?"

"I'll explain when we get there! Now pick me up and fly!"

The goat herder could only look on as the fighter picked up the midget witch and, in a flash, shot into the skies like a rocket to the moon. This was mind-numbing enough, but it didn't stop there. The fighter didn't keep shooting upwards. At one point, he stopped, _hovered in midair for quite some time_, and turned to the east, flying off towards the direction of the constructed building.

For a long time after that, the goat herder stared in the direction where the fighter and witch had flown off to. Then, he went home with his goats, drank some water, and swallowed ten pills of aspirin before heading off to bed.

"I'm losing it," the goat herder mumbled, before he went to sleep.

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

_How much do you care about these three people in front of you?_

Sachiko didn't understand the question. What did he mean, how much did she care? "I love them very much!" she said, her voice and body still weakened from that substance he gave her earlier. She tried to turn towards Tsu, but the old master grabbed hold of her head and forced her to face Kargo, Jiro, and Kikai again.

Huh. Kargo and Jiro's faces seemed redder than before.

Then, Tsu spoke again, whispering very quietly into her ear this time so that only she could hear him. "Tell me truthfully, Sachiko-chan. Do you love these people to the depths of your soul? Would you do anything for them?"

"Y-yes…" Sachiko swallowed nervously. These questions were beginning to unnerve her.

"Would you trade your life for theirs? Would you give yourself up in their stead?"

"Huh?" Sachiko blinked, before she tried to pull away from Tsu's grip. "What are you talking about? Stop messing with my mind! You're making my brain hurt!"

There was a gentle laugh in her ear. "There's nothing complicated about this," Tsu said softly. "The choice I've given you is simple. Forsake the life you've known, along with the memories of all those you hold dear, and I will let everyone in this room live."

"Live?" The small girl's eyes widened. Dear gods, this man really was insane…

"It's not a hard choice, dear. In fact, it's the best one you could ever make. I can train you beyond the capabilities of even your ancestor. I can teach you the secrets of the world, and the history of the gods. I can even take you to your father…"

Father. Yes, she had a father.

"I can give you all that, dear child. All you have to do is accept. But defy me—" Sachiko felt Tsu's grip on her head tighten "—and I will make sure that everyone in here dies a slow, painful death. Beginning with the three in front of you."

"W-what? No!" Sachiko felt fear and some of her strength immediately return, and she finally managed to wrench herself free, slipping out of the old man's grasp as she tumbled ungracefully to the floor.

This was a move she quickly regretted. No sooner had she pulled free, her strength abandoned her once again, and she was left to lie on the cold ground with not an ounce of energy in her body. She could barely move her head, let alone stand up and fight.

Above her, she saw Tsu's lips twist into an unpleasant smile.

_Sweet mother of Amaterasu…what have I done?_

"I see you need convincing," the old master said, his voice once again loud and cheerful. He turned his covered gaze towards Rei and Piccolo. "Would you please show Sachiko-chan the consequences of her foolish actions?"

"Of course," Rei droned, while Piccolo merely grunted in reply.

"Wait a second," she heard Ryoushi say nervously. "W-what're you gonna do, Master Tsu?"

Tsu merely smiled. "Stay out of this, pupil. This doesn't concern you."

"But—but you said that Jiro Kutai was _my_ responsibility!"

"Well, I've changed my mind."

"But Master…!"

"Silence, pupil!"

Sachiko could only watch with horror as Rei and Piccolo began to encircle Kargo, Jiro, and Kikai like sharks. Kikai quickly formed a ball of ki in her humanistic hand, and threw the energy straight at Piccolo. The Namek, however, dodged the attack, and countered by throwing his own barrage of yellow ki at the blonde woman. Kikai, who could do no more than crawl at this point, attempted to defend herself by crossing her arms over her face.

_Boom!_

Sachiko's eyes widened as she watched the beautiful woman get thrown back into the center of the room, smoke coming off her body as she skidded to a stop in front of Master Roshi and Hideaki, who crawled over to Kikai with a terrified stare. "Miss Kikai!" Hideaki cried. "Good heavens! What on earth did they do to you?"

"S-stop it…" Sachiko whimpered. "Please, stop hurting her…"

"STAY THE HELL AWAY FROM ME, BITCH!"

The small girl forced her head to turn. In the corner, she saw Jiro growl as he spat at Rei's face, but the woman merely flicked the spittle off without commentary, before she drove a powerful fist into the younger boy's stomach.

"AH!" Jiro's mouth dropped open as the air suddenly rushed out of his body. Before he could even catch a breath, Rei kicked him in the jaw, sending him flying into the steel wall behind him where he crashed with a sickening _crack_, and crumpled to the ground in a injured heap.

But Rei wasn't done. She mechanically walked over to Jiro, pulled him to his feet by the collar of his shirt, and began to punch at his face with inhuman strength. Blood poured from his nose, his mouth, from cuts in his handsome face…one eye was beginning to turn black…

"Jiro-kun!" Hideaki shrieked. "JIRO-KUN!"

"Dr. Rei!" Ryoushi yelled, stunned at the amount of cruelty the normally stoic doctor was now displaying. "Y-you're going to kill him!" The bounty hunter tried to pull Rei off of Jiro, only to get grabbed by the neck and thrown backwards, where he crashed hard on his rear end.

"Stay out of this," Rei said emotionlessly, not having once taken her attention off of Jiro.

This was too much! Too much!

"Stop it!" Sachiko wailed, pushing the top half of her body up with her wobbling arms. She tried to pull herself towards Jiro and Rei, tried to get them to stop…summoning strength she never even knew she possessed, she dragged her numbed body across the floor. "Leave him alone! _Leave him alone! _He never did anything to you!"

"Oh, _child_? Look over here, please!"

Now what?

Sachiko twisted her head towards Tsu's voice, and her blood froze when she saw that he was standing over Kargo, who had a look of absolute terror on his face. The old master was forcing Kargo to stand on his feet with one hand, while the other hand…

Was it even a hand?

Tsu's entire right arm was glowing at an abnormal rate, but the glow wasn't due to ki. His entire limb looked like it was made of powerful electric currents, currents that were eerily similar to that of lightning and…

Oh dear gods. Lightning.

"As you can see, my dear!" Tsu said cheerfully as Kargo desperately tried to twist out of his grasp. "I am not, in the slightest, joking about my threat! If you don't cooperate, all of your companions will die!"

_No._

"Let me go, you twisted loon!" Kargo shrieked, kicking and flailing as he tried to avoid the electrified arm. "Let go!"

_No!_

"PLEASE!" Sachiko screamed, her vision now becoming blurry from her tears. "PLEASE! DON'T HURT HIM! _DON'T HURT HIM!_ _**I'M BEGGING YOU**_!"

"Beg all you want, my dear! You know what I want to hear!"

"I DON'T KNOW!" Sachiko sobbed, tears now freely flowing down her face. "PLEASE! JUST LET HIM GO, AND LET ME THINK FOR A SECOND!"

Tsu grinned wickedly. "If you need to think, then your answer is no!"

"_**NOOOOOOOO**_!" Sachiko dragged her body as quickly as she could towards Kargo and Tsu, but the old master was much quicker. He slapped his electrified hand against Kargo's stomach, making the Namek boy scream with unimaginable agony. Kargo writhed and twisted and howled, but Tsu only applied more power to the lightning-ridden hand.

"_STOP_!" Sachiko collapsed a few feet away from the pair, sobbing. "Please…let them go…"

There was no answer. Only screams.

"They haven't done anything to you…they're innocent…"

There was Kikai, gasping as she tried to breathe through the pain…

"_Why are you doing this_?"

There was Jiro, lying face down on the floor, grunting as Rei kicked him mercilessly again…and again…and again…

"_WHY?"_

Kargo…

His body was jerking wildly as electricity coursed though him in waves. His eyes were rolling in the back of his head, and everything in his body language signified that of pain and horror. His screams were now so loud that the sound was now permanently etched in Sachiko's brain. She wanted to close her eyes. She wanted to cover her ears. But she stared on, listened on as her friend…her _best_ friend…had his life drained in front of her eyes…

Anger and desperation coursed through her. He was going to die. He was going to die, and she was just lying here! HE WAS GOING TO DIE, AND SHE WAS JUST LYING HERE!

No. Not Kargo. NOT KARGO!

"_YOU BASTARDS! __**YOU BASTARDS**_!"

A flash passed over her eyes.

A strength unknown to her flooded through her body.

There was a golden aura surrounding her.

She found herself standing on her feet, with everyone staring at her in shock.

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

**Kargo: …**

**Jiro: …**

**Sachiko: (Grins)**

**Kargo: …okay. Maybe miracles **_**can**_** happen.  
**

**Jiro: Or tragedies, if it's the**_** other**_** transformation…but in either case, don't expect it to be the answer to this problem!**

**Sachiko: Aw! Why not?**

**Kargo: Because! We still have to get out of that base, with the dragonballs! And we have no idea how strong Tsu actually is…**

**Sachiko: Oh yeah. And anyway, Goku-san has to see me now! I did it!**

**Jiro: Although I have no idea HOW you did it…**

**Sachiko: Aw, forget it Jiro! Let's just finish the sand castle contest! I'm almost done! (Flys high into the sky and sticks a small flag on top of a fifty-foot sandcastle)**

**Kargo: (Looks at three feet castle) …**

**Jiro: (Looks at lump of sand) …**

**Sachiko: (Giggles) Read and review, please!**


	44. A Deadly Confrontation

Jiro: If you haven't figured out that TURMOIL doesn't own Dragonball Z by now…ugh.

Sachiko: (Still wearing yellow bikini with teddy bear prints) Oh, forget about the disclaimer thing-a-ma-bob, Jiro! Let's just enjoy our day at the beach! (Licks vanilla ice cream out of a large cone)

Kargo: Yeah, rich boy! It's not often that our control freak author lets us do a "Start Up" session outside that stupid studio room! Um…got any strawberry, Sachi-chan?

Sachiko: Yup!

Jiro: (Snorts) _Strawberry_? That's the most girlish flavor there is! Now, chocolate is the way to go. It's a strong flavor that sends a shockwave of bittersweet delight down your throat! Also, it compliments the more subtle flavor of vanilla quiet nicely. Eating the two flavors at once is like having the feeling of night and day in your mouth.

Kargo: …you sound like a cheap advertisement.

Jiro: (Glares) Shut up.

Kargo: Chocolate's fattening. Strawberry, on the other hand, is sweet while having a softer, smoother taste. Plus, the chucks of strawberries in the ice cream are an additional delight, and _also_ compliment the similarly sweet, smooth taste of vanilla ice cream. The pink and white look very nice together, and is pleasing to the eye.

Jiro: Pussy.

Kargo: Jackass.

Sachiko: (Sweatdrops) GUYS! Please don't fight! Just eat your ice cream before it melts!

Jiro: Sachiko! Choose which flavor you think goes better with your vanilla ice cream! (Sweetly) The delicious chocolate…(Frowns) or the disgusting strawberry?

Sachiko: …

Kargo: Don't listen to that ass, Sachiko! Strawberry and vanilla are like wind and water! They share similar traits, and mesh together so well that the vile chocolate dares not compare!

Sachiko: …

_**Chapter Forty-Four: A Deadly Confrontation**_

"Huh," Goku said, scratching his head.

"Huh," Baba observed, her eyes taking in the sight before her.

Before them was a monument of white and silver-gray. Before them was a structure that completely contrasted with the rocky terrain of the mountains. Before them, simply put, was a very large, unusual building that was made from a complicated mixture of steel and white marble.

For a while, all Goku and Baba could do was stare.

"Wow," Goku finally commented. "You'd think that someone would have noticed a giant building that was built in the middle of nowhere. Wonder why no one in that goat village really knew about this place?"

"Be thankful they knew about it at all," Baba muttered. She looked around the perimeter of the building, and frowned. "This place is _crawling_ with guards, and they're all holding strange weapons. I have a bad feeling about this, Goku…"

"No problem!" the tall Saiyajin said cheerfully. "We'll just go around the building, and take the back entrance!"

Baba raised a brow. "What back entrance?"

"Oh, you know…" Goku grinned at her before he flew around the building, disappearing as he went around the corner. Baba hesitated, unsure as to whether she should follow the Saiyajin or not.

The explosion and blasts that sounded a second later cemented her decision. Better to wait until Goku was done.

A few more explosions and several more screams later, Baba saw many of the guards dash out from around the corner, screaming as they threw their half melted blasters aside and ran like mad towards the mountain wilderness. Baba hid herself as they passed, emerging only when she saw Goku come out. She saw that he was clutching at his hand, and that his face slightly screwed with pain.

That was disturbingly unusual.

"Are you alright, Goku?" the witch asked, noting the small trail of blood that ran down from his injured hand.

"I-I'm okay," Goku said, giving her a strained smile. "We can go in now…I made a new door in the back of the building! I'm sure the guy who owns the place won't mind…much." Then, the Saiyajin stared worriedly at his hand. "Hey, you know those gun things? They're really weird…the stuff that came out of them felt as strong as a ki blast!"

"Ki blast?" Baba grew alarmed. "This is serious, Goku…much more serious than I imagined. Quick, we must go in and find that girl!"

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

"S-sachiko…" Hideaki gasped.

It was unbelievable. The small girl's appearance had changed drastically, much like it had when they were at the Susanoo village.

The pupils of her eyes changed from their characteristic gold to a light green. Sachiko's dark blue hair turned gold just like last time, but instead of spiking upwards as it had in the village, a majority of her hair remained tame. Only her bangs were spiky; one particular spike dashed across her face in a rather dramatic fashion. There were no red cracks in her face, and the whites of her eyes thankfully remained white.

There was a golden aura surrounding the small girl, an aura that seemed to radiate with power. This power however, had a degree of control to it, control which Sachiko did not possess before.

Hideaki couldn't decide whether this was good or bad. If this was anything like Sachiko's Berserker mode…they were all doomed. She looked around the room, and blanched when she saw that Kargo and Jiro were unconscious from their earlier wounds.

NO! Now who would stop her if she got out of control?

"Damn!" Hideaki heard Tsu hiss as he dropped the near lifeless Kargo to the ground. All the cheerfulness in the man's voice was gone; even Rei and Piccolo stopped their assaults on Jiro and Kikai at the distress in the old master's voice. "This wasn't supposed to happen! She must have met that fool Ke before we took her…"

Hideaki blinked. Ke? Who was Ke?

"I can't believe it," she heard Master Roshi whisper from behind her. "She's become a Super Saiyajin…"

Hideaki blinked. _A super what?_ "Is that good or bad?" she asked worriedly.

"Oh, it's good," Roshi replied, grinning. "It's _very_ good…"

Suddenly, there was a fierce cry. Hideaki looked up just in time to see a blur ram itself against Tsu.

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

The second the old master blinked, Sachiko shot towards him and heatbutted Tsu square in the face. The force behind the attack was staggering—it sent the old man crashing into the steel wall, creating a very large dent. Tsu slowly slid to the floor, groaning and clutching at his cheek.

But Sachiko didn't give him a chance to get up. She flew towards him and delivered an uppercut to the bottom of his jaw, followed by a swift one-two combination to his torso that not only made Tsu lose his breath, but also sent him clear through the dented part of the wall where he crash landed several feet outside the room—no, outside the base.

_He's outside now…_

Sunlight poured into the dark room, making those who were still conscious blink and rub their eyes at the sudden brightness. Sachiko, however, completely disregarded this as she flew through the hole, determined to go after Tsu.

There was no emotion in her mind, other than the need for retribution. All she wanted to do was _hurt_ Tsu as much as possible, and nothing would stop her!

However, the old master had quickly recovered and was now on his feet, turning his head aside as he spat out a noticeable amount of blood from his mouth. Sachiko sped towards him and began to deliver a series of rapid punches and kicks to every part of his body that was visible, but to her dismay, Tsu dodged every one of her attacks, his bloody mouth grinning at her as she missed hitting his head by inches.

"CURSE YOU!" Sachiko screamed in frustration, before she quickly thrusted her hands in front of Tsu, her open palms only inches away from touching his scarf-covered nose. Before the old man could say a word, a massive blast of white ki exploded from her palms, and hit the old man squarely in the face.

"AAAAAAGGGGGGGH!" Tsu howled in agony as he reeled back, clutching at his now burning face. "You little wench!" A majority of the scarf had been burned off, and the old man was now desperately trying to cover his face as he scrambled away from her.

Sachiko's green eyes narrowed as she caught sight of the old man's attempt to retreat. "We're not done yet!" she yelled, running after the injured Tsu. "You've caused _my_ friends pain, and now I'm going to pay you back, tenfold!"

Suddenly, she felt something slam painfully into her back. Sachiko cried out as she crashed face-first into the dusty ground, with a great weight pinning her body down from behind. The small girl spat out the dirt in her mouth, and turned her head around to see the emotionless gaze of Rei and the crazed look of Piccolo.

"Do not harm Tsu," the doctor said mechanically. "You risk losing the truth if you do."

"The truth?" Sachiko stared at the woman in disbelief. "THE TRUTH? You wicked woman! Who are _you_ to talk to me about the truth?" Sachiko powered up, anger overcoming all of her senses. Piccolo was flung off of Sachiko due to the increased aura, as was Rei, but the doctor immediately regained her footing and charged towards Sachiko, moving so quickly that the small girl barely had time to duck as Rei's fist sailed over her head.

Recovery was quick. Sachiko quickly crouched down and delivered a low sweeping kick that knocked the emotionless woman off her feet. The small girl then twisted her body around so that her hands were on the ground, and she used them as a support as she lifted both legs in the air and kicked the doctor in the chest, sending her flying into Piccolo.

A pair of rough, callused hand suddenly grabbed her ankles. In seconds, Sachiko found herself getting spun around by her legs in midair by Tsu, whose face was now covered with a new face scarf. His lips were set in a smirk as he suddenly spun her at an angle, and Sachiko shrieked when she felt her head hit the ground sharply. Unfortunately, her screams only delighted the old master, and he did it again and again and again…Sachiko's shrieks turned into screams when she felt her head connect with a sharp rock…then steel…

Gods, he was hitting her against the walls of the base!

"Master Tsu! Stop this!"

An orange-red blast of ki suddenly shot towards them—it was aimed at Tsu, and for a second, Sachiko thought that it would hit. However, the old master had reflexes that were faster than she thought was possible. Right before the blast connected, Tsu stopped spinning Sachiko, twisted her around so that he was holding her by the arms, and held her in front of him like a shield.

_No…NO!_

Sachiko immediately shut her eyes, and five balls of white ki suddenly appeared, spinning around her and Tsu with increasing velocity. Instead of colliding with her, the orange-red blast hit the spinning ki balls, which quietly absorbed the blast as it spun faster and faster around the two people in its center.

"Ah!" Tsu laughed in her ear cheerfully as Sachiko dropped the shield, panting from the effort used to sustain it. "Well done, my dear! What an ingenious defense! It seems that you are indeed more than a mere copy of your ancestor after all! Ahahahaha!"

She gritted her teeth, her small hands clenching into fists. "Just go away!" Sachiko shrieked, before she summoned all of her strength and wrenched herself out of his hold.

From of the corner of her eye, she could see Ryoushi fighting a losing battle against Rei and Piccolo.

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

The minute Ryoushi ran after Sachiko, Tsu, Rei, and Piccolo, Hideaki unsteadily stood up on her half-asleep legs and jerkily walked over to Jiro and Kargo, both still knocked out from their torturous ordeals. Roshi hovered over Kikai, who was thankfully still conscious. The blonde woman waved off his offer to help her and instead forced herself to sit up with some effort, coughing and panting as she clutched at her injuries, most of them centered on her waist.

Hideaki almost sobbed when she saw Jiro. Once handsome and attractive, his face was now swollen and covered in darkening bruises. He had two black eyes, a bloody nose, and a very bloody mouth. She was surprised that he still had all his teeth—Rei had punched him so hard that Hideaki had expected at least ten of his pearly whites to fall off. She sat next to her brother, cursing the fact that she was handcuffed, as she wanted to at least clean the blood off of his face.

Her knee accidentally touched Jiro's side, and her younger brother suddenly groaned and winced in pain. Slowly, Jiro opened his eyes, and soon a pair of watery, disoriented blue irises stared up at her. "Sis?" he croaked out. He tried to get up, only to gasp and touch his battered face. "Shit…what the hell hit me?"

"That bitch, Rei," Hideaki whispered. She then looked over to Kargo, who was wheezing as he gasped for each breath. She bit her lip and tried not to cry as she turned her gaze back to her brother. "We have to get out of here. Kargo's in bad shape, and you don't look so hot yourself."

To her dismay, Jiro shook his head. "Not going anywhere," he whispered. "Gotta beat those sick creeps…no one fucks me over and gets away with it." His eyes, swollen and bruised, suddenly widened. "Where's Sachiko?"

"She's fighting them," Hideaki said. A small blast suddenly sounded from behind her. The young woman whirled around, expecting the worst, but to her relief she saw that it was only Kikai. The woman was holding up a glowing pink finger, which shot out small blasts of fuchsia-colored energy at Roshi's handcuffs. In seconds, the turtle hermit was free, and he rubbed his wrists gratefully.

"Thanks, Eighteen!" Roshi said with a grin. Hideaki then noticed that the old man's eyes were focused on the center of Kikai's chest, where her very noticeable bosom stuck out against the thin white hospital gown.

It didn't surprise Hideaki that the next ki blast Kikai shot out was aimed at Roshi's head.

After the hermit retreated, whimpering as he held his injured cranium, Kikai turned to Hideaki. "You next," she said dully. Hideaki immediately got the message and turned her back to the blonde, holding up her handcuffed arms as high as she could. The young woman flinched when she heard—and felt—the explosion near her hands, but she felt no pain. Instead, her hands fell at her sides, unconstrained and handcuff-free.

"Thanks much!" Hideaki said to Kikai, who was now slowly (and painfully) rising to her feet. Hideaki then turned to Jiro and helped him up, tossing one of his arms over her shoulder as she walked towards the door, out of the room and away from the fight that was occurring just a couple of yards away from them. Jiro struggled weakly in her arms, attempting to get to Sachiko.

"We can't just leave her!" Jiro cried. "She'll die!"

"No she won't!" Roshi replied as he picked up the still unconscious Kargo. The hermit grinned as he flung the Namek onto his shell-less backside, piggyback style. "Don't worry, Jiro! You missed it, but she'll be fine! She's a Super Saiyajin now, and she's much stronger than before!"

"She's what?" Jiro stared at Roshi in shock. "WHAT? When did that happen?"

Roshi opened his mouth to answer, but was interrupted when a loud series of bangs sounded against the wall, followed by Sachiko's shrill screams. Hideaki paled when she heard the pained cries, and Jiro did too. The teen turned his horrified gaze to his sister and said, "See? She's in trouble! I have to help!"

Hideaki bit her lip, before she shook her head. "No, Jiro! If we step in, we'll all die! Now come on!"

"NO!" Jiro struggled and pulled, but with all the head injuries he sustained, his strength had greatly diminished. Hideaki was able to easily pull him out of the room, back into the dark steel corridor of the base.

"Eighteen, come on!" Roshi yelled to Kikai. Hideaki turned around, and spotted the blonde woman lingering between going with them and going to the fight outside. "_Come on! _We have to go!"

Kikai stared at the hole, where a glimpse of Sachiko striking Tsu could be seen.

"Eighteen!" Roshi repeated. "Don't even think about it! You'd only be hindering her, not helping her!"

The blonde woman said nothing. Her fists clenched into balls, and she shut her eyes tightly before she gritted her teeth and turned towards the door, limping as she stepped out into the corridor.

Kikai's eyes were still shut as she went with them, but Hideaki could see traces of wetness forming under her eyelashes.

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

Ryoushi had only spent a limited time with Rei, but he knew one fact about her that any well-trained fighter could use to his advantage.

Though the woman was physically a tank, she was unable to use ki blasts, or use ki as any sort of long range weapon. Though Tsu had told him time and time again that Rei was a capable opponent for anyone, she couldn't, or wouldn't, use ki attacks. She was a hand-to-hand, close range fighter, and as long as one kept his distance, an intelligent fighter would be able to have the upper hand.

That _would_ have been the case, had he been fighting her one-on-one. However, he was also fighting that green menace, Pickles, or whatever they called the freak. And Pickles was, unfortunately, a _very_ good ki user. So long range was also out of the question.

He couldn't go far, yet he couldn't go close. He couldn't use his ki blasts, yet to go hand-to-hand would be suicide. This was like choosing between death by fire or death by water, and he liked neither options.

Oh gods, why? Why did he have to be such a soft-hearted idiot? He should have just stayed on the sidelines, instead of choosing to save the lives of those brats!

He took to the skies, just barely avoiding a Masenko beam from Pickles. Rei couldn't use ki, so she couldn't fly. Ryoushi thought he was safe as the doctor stood below him, her lips set in a hard, thin, perfectly straight line.

He really should have known better.

Rei came off the ground like a spring, her movements quick and precise. The bounty hunter, for a fleeting moment, considered flying out of her range, but by the time the thought actually registered in his brain the woman had grabbed him by the legs and was dragging him back down towards the ground. Ryoushi gasped—SHIT! This woman was fucking heavy for someone who looked like a fucking mouse!

Piccolo flew away to help Tsu, who was dodging the flurry of white ki blasts that the small girl was throwing in his direction. Ryoushi inwardly sighed with relief—one less person to worry about in _his _case. Maybe the fight would finally go in his direction.

Again, he really should have known better.

One second, their feet were touching the ground. In the next, before Ryoushi could even think about getting away from the doctor, he suddenly found himself _blinded_, attempting to cover his eyes as Rei attacked him again and again and again…

Rei did not box. Yes, she had punched Jiro during the torture session, but torture sessions were the only times when she hit another living being with closed fists. Here, she kept her hands open and jabbed with the thick heels of her palms, slamming them forward in short blows that, on their own, wouldn't have caused much damage.

But she did not hit only once or twice.

In the second between them reaching the ground and Ryoushi covering his face from her, she had smashed at the bounty hunter's eyes again and again, striking like an enraged cobra as she increased the force of the blows with each strike. Ryoushi backed down—for him, this was madness. It was as if he was being struck everywhere at once.

He tried to cover his face as he reeled back, but Rei then attacked his exposed stomach, jabbing repeatedly at the weak, soft spots that hardened muscles couldn't reach, couldn't protect. She hit him again and again, only using the heels of her hands, her wrists tight and rigid as she forced the air out of Ryoushi's diaphragm.

Gasping, the bounty hunter keeled over, grasping at his stomach as he kept his face low to the ground. But now, Rei began to _kick_. Using the sharp heels of her perfectly white stilettos, she painfully stomped on Ryoushi's back, causing him to collapse on the ground completely.

The next blow was aimed at his head. He saw, in slow motion, as the woman lifted her foot to strike…

Then he saw a golden blur. The blur was the girl who, despite being worn out, had aimed a kick at the doctor's stomach. Rei gasped and fell back, while the girl stood over him protectively. At that moment, he felt something for this girl. It was foreign to him, for he had never had to experience such cruel emotions before as a bounty hunter.

He felt guilt and regret.

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

"Sorry about that…OH! Sorry!"

Goku dodged another shot from a guard, and grabbed the blaster from the young man's hand, breaking it quickly. "Listen!" Goku said, as the man stared at the remnants of his gun in shock. "I just want to know where my descendant is. She's a little girl with a tail and—HEY!" A look of disbelief overcame the tall Saiyajin's facial features as the guard ran away, shrieking about super powered freaks. "I need some information! HEY!"

"Forget it, Goku," Baba said dully, as another terrified young man ran past her. "They're of no use to us. They have brains the size of fleas, the whole lot of them."

"But one of them _must_ know where Sachi-chan is!" Goku insisted. "We have to keep trying! It's the only way, now that I can't feel any life energy…"

"Yes…" Baba frowned. "That is most strange. But that means we must tread softly. This is a very peculiar situation we're in, and solving it using the old methods may not work this time."

Goku pouted. "I guess," he mumbled. "I just wish someone would tell us where they are! It could take weeks to find them at this rate!"

"Goku," Baba said sternly, "stop sniveling. We must keep searching. It's not as if they're going to come walking out of the corner, right into our arms!"

Suddenly, a group of injured people came walking around the corner. First, an old man carrying a half-dead green boy appeared, followed by a young, light blue haired woman who was supporting a struggling, injured teenage boy. Last of them was a beautiful but wounded blonde woman, who was clutching at her waist as she limped into sight.

Goku and Baba, for a few minutes, were speechless.

"…"

"…"

"…Baba…"

"Don't. Say. Anything."

"But—"

"DON'T!"

The old man peered at them curiously, before his jaw dropped. "Goku? That you? And…Baba? What are you doing here, you poker-cheating, blood sucking prune?"

The pink haired witch's eye twitched slightly, before she waved a hand at Goku. "Just go give them some senzu beans. Go…before I decide to strangle Roshi…"

Goku grinned, before he rushed off towards the equally stunned group, pulling out a small brown bag from his belt. "Boy, it's great to see you guys again!" Goku greeted, giving Roshi a hug. "Master Roshi, did you get new sunglasses? Here, have some senzu beans." Goku stuffed a bean into Roshi's mouth, before he tilted Kargo's unconscious head and pushed a bean into the Namek's mouth as well. He then turned to Eighteen, and laughed. "Eighteen! You look great! It's been so long—"

"Hug me and I'll castrate you," the blonde said flatly, holding Goku at arm's length as she snatched the senzu bean from his hand. Goku blinked, and turned to Baba curiously.

"Baba? What does castrate mean?"

"…it's nothing you need to know about, Goku."

"Oh. Okay." Goku shrugged, before his gaze fell on Hideaki. His eyes widened. "Bulma? I didn't know you came back to life! Is Vegeta here too? I didn't know that Emma sent him here too!"

"Eh?" Hideaki stepped away nervously from the overexcited Saiyajin. "Who the hell are you? My name is Hideaki Kutai!"

"This is Goku," Jiro mumbled, finally shaking himself loose from his sister. The boy leaned against a nearby wall, and sighed. "He's Sachiko's ancestor. But…" Jiro frowned, and gave Goku a sharp glare. "What the hell are you doing here? You're supposed to be dead!"

"I'm looking for Sachiko!" Goku said simply, popping a bean in both Hideaki and Jiro's mouths. "Baba told me that she might be in trouble, so I came down here to investigate. Don't spit it out!" Goku added, noticing Jiro's pinched face. "The bean will heal all of your injuries!"

"I have Sachiko to do that for me," the young boy mumbled, but he swallowed anyway.

For a moment, nothing happened. Then, all five people felt a drastic change. Jiro and Kikai felt their injuries subside, and in seconds, all of their bruises disappeared from their skin. For Roshi and Hideaki, the stiffness and hunger that had been gnawing away at their bodies vanished, and their minds became much clearer than before.

Kargo stirred.

The Namek boy, who had been nothing more than a dead weight for a long while, groaned as he opened his eyes groggily. He pushed himself off of Roshi's back as he shook his head, trying to clear his blurry vision. "Wha' happened?" he asked, his voice slurred by drowsiness. "Where's Sachi?"

"That boy has a one track mind," Hideaki muttered, sweatdropping.

"You were healed," Roshi replied, ignoring Hideaki's commentary. "Healed by one of the greatest fighters in history! Kargo, this is—"

"GOKU!" The Namek boy, who was now completely healed and mobile, slid off of Roshi's back and ran unsteadily towards the tall Saiyajin. "You're here? How? Why? Aren't you supposed to be in Fighter Heaven?"

"Well—" Goku began, but was cut off by the rambling Kargo.

"Never mind why! Where's Sachi? Oh gods, is she still with Tsu? We have to save her! We have to help her! We have to—MMPH!" Kargo was silenced by Jiro, Hideaki, Kikai, and Roshi all covering his mouth with their hands. "Mmph? MMMMMPPPPHH!"

"Who's Tsu?" Goku asked nervously, as he watched Kargo try to pry everyone's hands off of his mouth. "And where _is_ Sachi-chan anyway? I thought she was with you, but I don't see her here…"

Everyone, with the exception of the still muffled Kargo, exchanged nervous looks.

Suddenly, there was a shrill scream.

"THIS IS NOT A GAME!"

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

"HYEEEEAAH!"

Grabbing Piccolo by the arms, Sachiko dug her heels _hard_ into his stomach, forcing the air out of the Namek's system. She then pulled his upper body downwards and smashed her knee into his face, while simultaneously slamming her elbow into the base of his head.

This double impact, combined with her Super Saiyajin strength, was too much. Piccolo's eyes grew glassy, and he fell to the ground in a disgraceful heap. He did not move.

As she watched this, Sachiko panted heavily, her legs trembling as her body struggled to maintain its adrenaline. But it was hard. Her earlier anger was slipping away, and some of her newfound strength slowly faded from her body as fatigue took over. The golden aura surrounding her body decreased, a change that did not go unnoticed by her remaining opponents.

She continued to stand her ground.

"Are you getting tired, my dear?" Tsu teased. Sachiko felt a chill go up her spine; the old master didn't even sound remotely tired, despite her having stuck him so many times. Next to him was Rei, who was watching her through her thick, obscuring glasses.

"Damn it," she heard Ryoushi mutter from behind her. "Don't they ever get tired? What the hell are they on? Horse Viagra?"

_Note to self_, Sachiko thought. _Ask Kargo what Horse Viagra is later._

"Why are you doing this?" Sachiko asked, still breathing deeply as she tried to buy some time. "Why me? Why am I that important to you?"

"Hm?" Tsu cocked his head, before he laughed. "You want to know why? I told you before—you're something that shouldn't exist. Therefore, you intrigue both me and Rei."

"That doesn't answer anything!" Sachiko yelled, her golden aura flaring up again.

"Oh, I know!" Tsu waved a hand in dismissal. "But then again, if I told you the entire truth _now_, what fun would there be for me later on? That would end the game much too quickly, my dear child."

"THIS IS NOT A GAME!" Sachiko screamed, before she charged at Ryoushi, ignoring his shout for her to wait. She aimed a punch at Tsu, who merely grabbed her wrist and expertly tossed her aside, while skillfully moving his body out of the way as she crashed into the ground.

"Lesson number one," the old master said with a smile. "Always try to use your opponent's own energy against him. That way you conserve your own ki for when you really need it."

"Be quiet!" Sachiko yelled. "You're not my sensei!" She ran towards Tsu again, but Rei stepped in and aimed a quick jab to her forehead. The blow stopped Sachiko in her tracks, momentarily stunning her, but the small girl quickly regained her focus and put up her ki shield just before Tsu could attack with a ki focused punch. Sachiko gritted her teeth as the old master's glowing fist clashed against the white, spinning ki balls. She looked up at Tsu, and was horrified when she saw that he was smiling. His fist came closer…closer…

Suddenly, she felt a strain. A strain on her head, on her neck, her chest…for a second, she felt _something_ flicker inside her, _something_ that was clawing to get out…

She was not aware of the red cracks suddenly appearing on her face, nor was she aware that the whites of her eyes were suddenly turning black. In front of her, Tsu's mouth dropped open in pure shock, but she didn't see this. The strain on her head, neck, and chest only grew more and more painful, blocking out everything around her...she couldn't think of anything but—but—

"Oh, GODS!" she cried, and dropped her shield, her anger, and her power. In a flash, her hair once again became blue, and her eyes returned to their normal gold. The cracks vanished, and the whites of her eyes remained white.

Unfortunately, Tsu did not stop his attack throughout her moment of weakness.

Sachiko screamed when the punch connected with her chest, on the very same area that Tsu had healed not too long ago. It felt like the old injury was being ripped open again—the horror of it was too much for Sachiko to comprehend.

She fell on her back to the ground, gasping. She looked at her chest, almost terrified to see if blood was pouring out. It wasn't, but there was still a very ugly would there. Coughing, she stared at the sky above her, a soft, light blue that had not a single cloud in it.

"I should thank Ke," she heard Tsu say. "That ridiculous restraint that he put on her body helped us in the end after all!"

Ke? Did Ke betray her?

So this was it. She had lost. She shut her eyes, waiting for the final strike.

"KAMEHAMEHA!"

A sudden rush of power flew overhead, the force of it so strong that Sachiko's eyes burst open as it passed. She looked up just in time to see a huge, powerful blue beam hit Tsu straight in the stomach, the force of which sent the old man flying into a steel-and-marble wall.

There was a huge amount of ki somewhere…next to her. Sachiko twisted her head around, and gasped. "G-goku-san?"

His hair was spiky and golden, and his green eyes were filled with concern as he bent over her and helped her sit up. "Sachi!" he cried, smoothing her hair back. "Are you okay?"

"Uh…" Suddenly, there was another loud cry. Sachiko turned, and her jaw dropped when she saw Jiro, Kargo, and Kikai all attacking Tsu at one time, the old master dodging all of their attacks as the three furiously kicked and punched at him.

When did they get healed? Who healed them? And how did Goku get down here?

She never got the chance to ask, for Goku quickly had to bend over backwards to avoid a jab from Rei. He then flipped over, escaping her sharp kick to his exposed stomach, and drew the doctor away from Sachiko by continuously flipping backwards until they were at a safe distance from the small girl.

But safe distance or no, Goku still seemed to be out of his comfort zone. "Miss!" he cried as he dodged Rei's fierce strikes. "Please forgive me, but I—I really don't want to fight you!"

Rei simply continued to jab with an emotionless gaze. "If your unwillingness to fight is due to my gender, then you are a fool indeed," the doctor said tonelessly. She then grabbed his arm and twisted it—or tried to. Goku coughed, before he bowed his head in apology.

"Sorry," he said, before he grabbed her hands and flung her away. Despite his care, the Saiyajin had unfortunately underestimated the force behind his throw. Rei ended up sailing through the hole in the wall, and a loud crash could be heard from within. Goku sweatdropped. "Oops…"

"Rei!" Bursting through all three of his attackers, Tsu ran after the fallen doctor, disappearing within the hole. Sachiko, who was now on her feet, tugged hard at Goku's arm. "We can't let them get away, Goku-san! They're after me, and they won't stop until they get me!"

"What?" A look of alarm spread through Goku's features. "But why?"

"I don't know! But we can't let them get away!" Sachiko grabbed her ancestor's arm and dragged him through the hole, blinking furiously when darkness suddenly flooded the room. After being outside so long, her eyes were unused to the darkness. Behind her, she heard Kargo, Jiro, and Kikai come in after her.

"Sachiko!" Kargo and Jiro cried, running up to her as they both grabbed one of her arms and looked her over. Sachiko looked at both boys curiously as they raised a brow. Then, they turned to Kikai sourly. "Hey!" Jiro yelled. "She's not a Super Saiyajin!"

"She just looks really hurt!" Kargo agreed, wrapping an arm around Sachiko's shoulder protectively. (Jiro quickly shoved Kargo's arm off, which resulted in him earning a growl from the Namek boy.)

"Super?" Goku's green eyes widened, and he stared at Sachiko in a mixture of surprise and delight. "So…you did it, Sachi? You turned Super Saiyajin?"

"She _did_ turn Super Saiyajin," Kikai muttered, though she too was looking at Sachiko with concern. "You okay, kid?"

"Uh…" Sachiko saw Ryoushi crawl through the hole, walking slowly as he clutched at his stomach and swollen eyes. "Where are Hideaki and Master Roshi?"

"Oh, they left the base with Baba!" Goku replied, smiling. "They're safe. Now…about this Tsu person…"

Sachiko nodded, her eyes slowly wandering over to Tsu, who was now helping Rei to her feet. They were both standing next to a bunch of wires, with a sign next to them that said, "High Voltage: Do Not Touch." Tsu turned his scarf covered gaze towards her, and she saw him smile.

How was he still able to smile? Was he an eternally happy man?

"You are very fortunate, Goku!" Tsu said loudly from his side of the room. "If you had harmed Rei, I would have been very upset."

"Um…sorry about that," Goku said sheepishly. "I tried not to throw her too hard—ow!" Goku rubbed his punched arm as Kikai withdrew her clenched hand. "What was that for?"

"Don't apologize to the enemy!" the blonde woman snapped. "For heaven's sake…didn't you learn anything during the last six hundred years?"

"Of course I did! I learned plenty! I learned—"

"Am I interrupting?" Tsu broke in, his cheerful voice filled with a rough edge. "I would like to finish this confrontation here and now, if you don't mind."

Goku grinned. "Oh! Right!" He stepped forward, illuminating the dark room with his golden aura. "So! Is it going to be you and the creepy looking lady in glasses against all of us?"

"Hardly," Tsu said, snorting. "Just _you_…and _me_."

Before Goku could blink, Tsu quickly sped through the room, grabbed the Saiyajin by the throat, and pushed him at high speeds until Goku's back slammed against one of the computers. The machine broke immediately under the suddenly force that impacted its frame, the screen cracking and wires fraying wildly. Then, Tsu attempted to punch Goku in the head, only to be kicked in the stomach in retaliation as Goku fought to get out of the old master's grip.

Goku kicked Tsu in the stomach again and again until the old man's grip on his neck loosened. The Saiyajin then quickly grabbed onto his opponent's arm, flinging him hard into another, adjacent computer, breaking the machine in a similar manner as before, though the damage was much greater. A second later, the machine exploded, sending Goku scurrying back.

For a moment, Tsu was covered by smoke.

Then, a blur emerged from the smoke, moving so quickly that Goku wasn't able to see Tsu as the old man kicked him roughly in the jaw, followed by a roundhouse kick that sent the Saiyajin staggering. Tsu landed gracefully on the ground, before he grabbed one of Goku's legs and spun him around in the air, much like he did to Sachiko.

Goku, however, was familiar to this type of attack. Using his free leg, he quickly kicked at Tsu's head, catching the old master off guard as Goku's boot connected with his cheek. Tsu released Goku, who fell to the ground and immediately tried to deliver a kick to Tsu's kneecaps. However, the old master leapt out of the way, and clubbed down with both hands joined in a double fist at the top of Goku's head. Goku yelped, and was barely able to dodge as Tsu's fists pounded the ground, creating a crater where his head was only a second ago.

Without warning, Tsu retreated, flying back to where Rei was. The two whispered to one another, with Rei nodded and Tsu sighing sadly. The old master turned his scarf covered gaze towards Sachiko and Goku, and gave them a sad smile.

"Forgive me," Tsu said apologetically. "But I must cut this battle short. Private reasons, I'm sure you'll all understand." Tsu blew a kiss at Sachiko. "Goodbye for now, my dear child." Then, to the shock and horror of everyone in the room, Tsu thrusted his hand into the nearby set of high voltage wires.

Another glow illuminated the dark room, joining the glow that Goku was giving off. However, this glow came from Tsu's electrified body, as his left hand grasped hard at the high voltage wires. Sachiko, despite her fear of this man, didn't want to see him die like this.

"Tsu!" she cried, running towards him. "Let go! Don't kill yourself!"

To her shock, she saw him grin through the glow. She stopped dead, and stared at the cheerful old man in horror. "My dear child," Tsu said, raising two fingers in his right arm, "I have no intention of dying!" The two fingers touched his left wrist, slid down towards his stomach, and shot out towards the ceiling.

A burst of what appeared to be _lightning_ emerged from his right hand, and sliced clean through the ceiling like a hot wire through butter. Sachiko then heard screams from Kargo, and screams from above—the lightning attack was going clear through the building! Tsu was killing his own men...

Tsu shot the lightning all through the room, through the walls, and at every support beam that was visible. Sachiko dove to the floor as the lightning passed over her head, and out of the corner of her eye she saw the others dive to the ground as well.

She then, unexpectedly, saw Tsu aim the attack at her.

Her body froze.

He was…he was going to kill her?

"YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

Sachiko's eyes widened with horror as Ryoushi threw himself in front of her. The bounty hunter's body became illuminated as the electricity shot through his middle, and as a result the man screamed so loudly, so helplessly that Sachiko had to cover her ears and eyes to block out the sound and sight.

She didn't want to hear it! She didn't want to see it! She didn't want to feel any more pity for that man! He was nothing but a selfish human being! How many times had he hurt her and her friends through her journey? Countless times! Countless!

And yet…he saved her…

The screams abruptly stopped, as did the lightning attacks. Sachiko opened her eyes a tiny bit.

She wished that she hadn't.

Ryoushi was lying still, smoke coming off of his body in lazy waves as they drifted towards the nearby hole that lead outside. He wasn't moving. He wasn't breathing.

Sachiko's breath came out in short gasps, and she was unable to tear her eyes away from the sight of the hunter's unmoving body. Was he…? No. He couldn't be. He couldn't be...!

A large crash forced her to lift her head. The crash had been the result of a piece of ceiling that had fallen to the ground. Sachiko looked up, and paled when she saw that the entire building was coming down. She looked at Tsu with rage, but the old master was gone, and Rei with him. Sachiko stood up and made to run after them, but she felt two strong hands grab her shoulders.

"Sachiko!" Kargo yelled. "We gotta go!"

"NO! Tsu and Rei…" Sachiko clenched her fists, and she felt that strain on her head, neck, and chest again. "They have to be found! We can't just let them go!"

"Sachi, we can't stay here!" Goku yelled. "We have to get out of here, now!"

With that, Kargo and Goku dragged a struggling Sachiko towards the hole, where Jiro and Kikai had already escaped to the outside. Sachiko again saw Ryoushi's body, and she struggled even more. "The hunter! We can't leave him here! We can't!"

"There's nothing we can do for him!" Kargo yelled.

"NO! I can heal him! He's still alive! I can—EEEEEEEEEEK!" Sachiko suddenly shrieked when a large hunk of the ceiling crashed in front of her, falling directly on top of Ryoushi. Now, not only was Sachiko's path to him blocked, but the bounty hunter was certain to have been crushed. This was too much. "Oh, GODS!" Sachiko screamed, tears streaming down her face. "Have mercy on us, please! I didn't mean to hate him! I didn't!"

She sobbed as Kargo and Goku pulled her outside and flew away from the collapsing building. They didn't stop until they reached the mountain wilderness, where Hideaki, Roshi, and Baba were waiting anxiously. They were confused as to why Sachiko was crying, but she refused to talk to anyone. Instead, she simply buried her face into Goku's neck, and cried.

_I didn't mean to hate him. I never meant for him, or for all those men, to die! It's all my fault…_

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

**Kargo: …**

**Jiro: …**

**Sachiko: …guys? Our ice cream is melting.**

**Jiro: (Flatly) Our author is a cruel, manipulative bitch.**

**Kargo: Amen to that.**

**Sachiko: OOH! There's a scuba diving lesson! Let's go, guys! I wanna scuba dive before we have to leave the beach for good! TURMOIL might change her mind at any moment, and force us to end our working vacation!**

**Jiro: (snorts) Like I said, TURMOIL's a cruel, manipulative bitch. Dear gods, this story's never gonna end.**

**Kargo: Well, not exactly true. Next time, we find out that we're invited to an event that the Dragonball series is famous for.**

**Jiro: What, you mean we have to fight increasingly strong hordes of aliens that are fucking impossible to beat without pulling some sort of miracle out of our asses?**

**Kargo: NO! The OTHER event that the series is famous for! The Tenkaichi Budokai, you stupid piece of crap!**

**Jiro: (Annoyed) Who're you calling a stupid piece of crap, you ugly shit?**

**Sachiko: ANYWAY! We're technically not invited to the Budokai. We're…um…forced into it. So we have to start training, and fast!**

**Kargo: All thanks to the craphead Jiro!**

**Jiro: Freak, one more word out of you and I swear—**

**Sachiko: GUYS! STOP IT! The other people on the beach are staring at us! **

**Kargo: Come on, rich boy! BRING IT! Let's see what you got!**

**Jiro: Oh, I've been WAITING for this, freak! I'm gonna kick your little green ass!**

**Sachiko: …please readers…just read and review.**


	45. The Invitation

Sachiko: TURMOIL-san only owns us! So no lawsuits or death threats, okay? Also, BIG thanks goes out to **Kaboom Krusader** for drawing me, Kargo-kun, and Jiro! He's a GREAT artist! A link to his picture of us is in TURMOIL-san's profile, so go check it out!

Random Audience Member #1: Okay!

Sachiko: Now, today's chapter is supposed to mark the final arc of this story! Yup! After the Tenkaichi Budokai, that's it! It's over for my childhood story! But still…it's so sad. (Sniffs)

Random Audience Member #2: Goku's weird in this chapter! I never really saw the guy so…serious before!

Sachiko: Well, Goku-san is a serious person sometimes! Remember when he trained Gohan-san in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber thing-a-ma-bob? He was in "sensei-mode", which is what he'll be when he talks with me in the story!

Kargo: (Hiding behind curtain) …hey, Sachi-chan?

Sachiko: (Sweetly) Yes, Kargo-kun?

Kargo: …why are you dressed as a doctor?

Sachiko: (Dressed in white lab coat white wearing a stethoscope around her neck) Hmm? Oh, this! Well, TURMOIL-san's been getting sick again. She needs another x-ray on her body, and she's been so paranoid because you know what happened the LAST time she had an x-ray.

Kargo: Oh yeah…ew. (Shudders)

Sachiko: So, to calm her down, she told me to dress as a doctor! (Takes out large syringe) Now, stick out your tushie, patient! You need a booty shot!

Kargo: That reminds me. (Steps out from behind curtain, revealing that he is dressed in a hospital gown) WHY THE HELL AM I WEARING THIS FAGGY OUTFIT?

Sachiko: Because you're the patient, silly! Present the butt, please!

Kargo: NO! I refuse to receive medical treatment! I'm not even sick! Why don't _you_ be the patient? That way, _I_ can be the doctor!

Sachiko: (Uneasy) Um…I dunno, Kargo. Then Jiro won't be the nurse.

Kargo: Nurse? What are you…oh…my…GOD!

Jiro: (Dressed in a FEMALE nurse's outfit, with a flat look on his face) Don't. Say. Anything.

Kargo: …

Jiro: …

Kargo: …BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

Jiro: Goddamn it! I said shut your mouth, freak! This isn't funny!

Kargo: Yes it is! BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

_**Chapter Forty-Five: The Invitation**_

"Hello? Yes, I'm aware of the numbers! Hold on, I have another call…hello? YES! I know what the stocks say! Hello? No! Don't abandon me now! Hello? Hello? BAH!"

President Kutai threw the phone back onto the receiver in fury, as a nervous Katsu stood by the sidelines. "Um, sir?" Katsu began timidly. "D-don't you think you should calm down?"

He immediately regretted saying that. The older man looked at him with so much disbelief that all Katsu wanted to do was go home. Oh, why did he have to take that job offer? Why?

"My boy," President Kutai said in a quiet, strained voice, "I am at my wits' end. I don't know why, but this R.K.T. fellow somehow managed to get _fifty-one_ _percent_ of the stocks! How did this happen?"

"I don't know, sir! I swear, no one had access to the stock numbers but you, me, and Miss Hideaki, sir!"

"What am I going to do? If I don't get back the majority percentage in a week, I'll get booted off the board! My family will be kicked to the streets! WHERE WILL MY CHILDREN LIVE?" With that, President Kutai broke down and began to weep as he buried his face in his hands.

A soft voice suddenly interrupted them. "If I may be so bold as to speak, Mr. Kutai?"

President Kutai and Katsu looked up. In front of them stood a young sixteen-year-old boy, who was wearing worn out, slightly ragged traveler's clothing. With shaggy black hair that was so long that they covered his eyes completely, the boy quietly sat down in front of President Kutai, and gave him a smile.

"My name is Ke, sir. And I'm here to give you an ultimatum that could possibly save your company."

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

"Sachi-chan…please don't cry anymore."

The small girl sniffled, and buried her head deeper into Goku's neck as they sat together on the large bed. "It feels so strange," she whispered, her voice choked with sobs. "I can't make it stop feeling strange, Goku-san."

A large hand gently ran through her hair. "What do you mean, Sachi? Are you talking about your injuries? If they feel strange, I can give you another senzu bean."

"No!" Sachiko took Goku's hand, and held it against her chest. "I mean, it feels strange _inside_."

"Oh." Sachiko felt the rise and fall of her ancestor's chest, as if he was taking a deep breath, before she heard him speak in a soft, unsure voice. "Sachi-chan, the hunter tried to hurt you. Several times, from what Kargo and Jiro told me."

"The hunter tried to save me." Sachiko lifted her tearstained face, and gave Goku a sad stare. "What does that mean?"

Goku opened his mouth, as though he was going to say something, before he quickly changed his mind and scratched the back of his head uncertainly. "I can't answer that," he finally replied. "I never exactly talked with the guy. But—" he gave the small girl a small smile "—maybe he wasn't all bad. I mean, he _did_ try to save you, right?"

A tear fell down Sachiko's cheek, and a weak, jilted chuckle escaped from her lips. "I don't know why I'm crying," she laughed, wiping furiously at her eyes. "I didn't even like the meanie. He wasn't a nice man at all. I never liked him, Goku-san. _I never liked him_!"

The last sentence came out in a near scream. Bunching a tuft of Goku's orange gi in her little fists, Sachiko's expression suddenly became that of frustration and anger. "I don't even know why I'm so upset!" she cried, staring at him with wild eyes. "It's—it's not my fault, right? RIGHT? So why am I feeling this way?"

"Sachi—"

"Did this ever happen to you?"

Goku blinked. "Sachi-chan—"

"Tell me, Goku-san!" Sachiko pleaded, her tone that of desperation. "Have you ever felt this way?"

Silence.

"Goku-san!"

"I don't know," Goku finally answered. His eyes suddenly looked sad, and for a moment, Sachiko forgot her own distress. "I don't know. Whenever I encountered an enemy, I always tried to give them an opportunity to stop. Give them a chance to change, you know? But a lot of them never took it. In the end, my friends and I almost always ended up killing them, and a lot of the times, they deserved it."

Sachiko's eyes widened. "Goku-san…"

Goku pulled Sachiko into an embrace, and rested his chin on the top of her head. "Don't get me wrong. I always had the dragonballs, so I never thought too much of death when I was alive. The balls were sort of a comfort blanket."

"That's careless," Sachiko mumbled, lying limply in Goku's arms. "And anyway, Kargo-kun told me that the dragonballs usually cause more harm than good. He read all about them, you know. He's smart."

Goku chuckled. "That's true. You know, I never even thought about stuff like that until it was too late, and I can't really have these kinds of talks with my family. Gohan's speech is kinda hard to understand, and Goten…" Goku sighed. "I don't know. I'm not really good at this 'talking' stuff. Did I go off track? I guess what I'm trying to say is that it's okay for it to feel _strange_. Inside, I mean."

"Oh."

For a while, there was silence. Then, Sachiko pulled away from Goku slightly, and gave him an inquisitive stare. "Goku-san?"

"Yes, Sachi-chan?"

"Are you going to stay with me now?"

"Hmm?" Goku cocked his head curiously to the side. "What'cha mean, Sachi?"

The small girl fidgeted, before a small blush spread across her cheeks. "Y-you're alive now, so…are you going to stay with me forever and ever? Until I finally become Head Priestess? Until I get married and have lots and lots of kids? Until I grow old and die?"

"Eh?" Goku squirmed uneasily as he juggled Sachiko in his lap. "To tell you the truth, I'm not really alive. I'm only here on a temporary stay. And even if I could stay," Goku added, "I don't know if I could stay with you until you grow old and die. I'm older, so I'd probably die first."

"Oh."

Sachiko's face fell, which caused Goku to hurriedly say, "BUT! I still have a whole day left to spend with you before Baba returns from talking with Lord Emma! So let's make it a fun one okay, Sachi-chan? For the next twenty-four hours, I'm yours!"

"Really?" Sachiko asked innocently.

Goku grinned. "Really really!"

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

"I think she's calmed down," Kargo whispered, as he pressed an ear against the bedroom door. "I don't hear any more crying. I think they're talking now…but I can't hear what they're saying!"

"Well," Jiro said snidely, "maybe we could all hear them a little better if you'd shut your fat mouth, freak!"

"Fat mouth?" Kargo lifted his ear away from the door and turned to Jiro with a look of rage. "_I_ have a fat mouth? Who's the one who's been cursing since this whole journey began, eh?"

"It's called freedom of speech, alien boy. If you don't like it, then beat it!"

"Freedom of speech? I'll show you freedom of speech! My fists would love to have a face to face 'talk' with you, rich boy! Right here, right _now_—OW!" Kargo yelped as the bedroom door suddenly flung open and smacked him on the side of his head, sending him crashing to the floor.

With a look of confusion on his face, Goku poked his head out of the room to see what the commotion was all about. "Is everything all right?" he asked worriedly. "Sachi and I heard fighting, so I thought—hey!" Goku looked down and saw the half-conscious Kargo curled on the floor, clutching at his injured head. "Is he okay?"

"Oh, he'll be fine," Jiro said, with a smirk stretched across his lips. "It's what he gets for being a nosy, thick-headed jackass."

"No cursing, Jiro!" Sachiko yelled from inside the room.

"That's right," Goku agreed, waggling a finger in Jiro's face. "It's not very nice to curse, especially at someone who's supposed to be your friend!"

Jiro snorted, and threw an uncaring glance at the young Namek on the floor. "Who the hell said that he was my friend? I couldn't care less about what happens to him."

"The feeling is mutual," Kargo hissed as he slowly pushed himself to his feet. He glared at Jiro angrily, before he tried to look behind Goku, into the bedroom. "Sachi-chan?" he called out nervously. "You okay in there?"

"Uh-huh," came the reply. There was a slight pause, before the small girl added, "I'm hungry, Kargo-kun."

"Me too!" Goku chirped, his own stomach suddenly giving off a loud, ferocious rumble that send Kargo and Jiro staggering. Goku seemed oblivious to this, however, and he quickly took Sachiko by the hand and led her out of the bedroom, pulling her down the stairs of Master Roshi's house towards where delicious smells wafted through the door of the kitchen.

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

Hideaki and Master Roshi were outside, attempting to fix the damages done to the old man's home. They were making fairly good progress; the destroyed wall was fixed, and Hideaki was already putting in the new windows. Roshi was applying new paint to the outside of his house, but he was secretly sneaking looks at Hideaki's backside, an act which thankfully went unnoticed.

Kikai were lounging on the sofa, looking as though she was relaxing. She had changed into a fashionable white cashmere sweater and a pair of cream slacks a while ago, but not before ripping the old hospital gown into pieces and flinging the clothing into the sea. An observant person would have noticed that, as Kikai sat there, her eyes were fixated on an object above the fireplace mantel, a picture.

It was a picture of a young blonde woman with her arms around a very short, nearly bald man. The man was holding a baby in his arms, and the couple both looked very happy and content…

Kikai looked up at the sound of Sachiko and Goku approaching, and the distant look disappeared from her eyes. "You've regain your senses, I see," the blonde woman said quietly to Sachiko. The small girl blushed, and lowered her gaze in embarrassment.

"I'm sorry if I worried you, or anyone else for that matter," Sachiko murmured.

"I wasn't worried," Kikai said flatly. "And you shouldn't apologize. You shouldn't be crying over the bounty hunter. He got what he deserved for siding with that Tsu creep."

Sachiko flinched at Kikai's harsh tones, but she kept silent.

"We have other things to worry about, kid," Kikai continued. "Goku's not going to be here much longer, and we have to find Tsu and that Dr. Rei before they start their next attack on us. In case you've forgotten, they have six of the seven dragonballs in their possession."

"Hey!" Goku protested. "Leave her alone. Sachi's still a little upset."

"This isn't the time to be relaxing," Kikai snapped. "If they attack us again, how can we beat them? I couldn't beat them. Sachiko here, in _Super Saiyajin_ form, couldn't beat them. If you hadn't messed around so much, you could have taken down Tsu—"

"I didn't know he was so strong!" Goku retorted, though his voice was uneasy. "I couldn't feel his ki in that strange building! I thought he was weaker…so I thought I'd go easy on him."

"If _I_ couldn't beat him, how weak could he have been?" Kikai shouted, making Sachiko whimper and retreat back to the stairs, where Kargo and Jiro were watching the scene anxiously. Kikai saw this, and she forced herself to calm down. "Forget it," she muttered. "Let's just have lunch, and then try to come up with a new plan." She turned to Sachiko, who was hiding behind Kargo on the stairs. "Hey, kid…come out."

Sachiko peeked out from behind Kargo's shoulder, and quickly shook her head.

"Come on, Sachi!" Goku said, his voice suddenly cheerful and perky. "Let's go into the kitchen and eat some of Korin's delicious food! I think he made roast beef today! Can't you smell it?"

"Korin?" Sachiko's eyes widened, and she gave her Namekian friend a questioning look to which he replied with only a grin.

"You mean that stupid talking cat?" Jiro asked, only to be ignored by Kargo.

"I was going to tell you later," the Namek admitted to Sachiko as he pulled the small girl towards the kitchen. "I didn't know he was here until we got back from the fight, but the minute I walked in, I saw him and I _knew_…" Kargo pushed through the kitchen door as he held onto Sachiko's hand, and greeted in aloud, obnoxious voice, "HELLO, MR. KITTY-BITTIES!"

The white cat—who was donning a pink apron and a sauce covered wooden spoon—quickly turned around, freezing on the spot as his eyes fell upon the smirking Namek boy and the equally shocked little girl.

For a moment, there was absolute silence.

Then…

"MR. KITTY-BITTIES!" Sachiko promptly exploded with glee, and tackled Korin so quickly that the poor cat didn't even have time to blink. Korin choked and flailed helplessly as Sachiko squeezed him around his middle with gusto, and it was only when Goku intervened that the white cat was finally able to take a breath. "No, Goku-san!" Sachiko wailed as her ancestor separated her from Korin. "I wanna hug Mr. Kitty-Bitties!"

"This is why I left!" Korin gasped, backing as far away from the girl as physically possible. "This is why I left Korin's Tower five years ago! This is why I faked my death, and hid out here in the middle of nowhere! Because of _her_!" He pointed menacingly at the small girl, who was still trying with no avail to reach him. Korin turned to Kargo, and gave him a fierce glare. "YOU! You promised me that you wouldn't tell her!"

"But she looked so sad and miserable!" Kargo cried, hugging the squirming Sachiko from behind. "I couldn't just let her wallow in her own grief!" His grip on Sachiko tightened when she began to wiggle like a worm against his body. ("Let me hug him, Kargo!" Sachiko pouted. "I LOVE Mr. Kitty-Bitties!")

"You know, the freak's got a point," Jiro admitted, placing a hand on Sachiko's head as he ruffled her hair playfully. ("EEEEK! Stop that, Jiro! You're making my hair all wild and stuff!") "She does look better now that she's seen you, furball. Ten minutes ago, she was all depressed, and just look at her now."

"You've obviously never been fawned over by her before," Korin grumbled to Kargo and Jiro. "You've obviously never had her touch every part of your body! You've obviously never had her kiss you every ten seconds! You've obviously never been forced to be pressed against her chest while she whispered words into your ear, her lips tickling the outer rim like some damn feather! Every time she saw me, I've ended up chained to her side like some slave, day in and day out!"

Goku laughed at this recollection. "Come on, Korin!" he said. "Don't you think you're going a little overboard? What do you think guys? Guys?" Goku blinked at Kargo and Jiro, who both had very dark red hues on their faces.

"Are you guys okay?" Sachiko asked innocently, for she was still trapped in between the two boys. Both Kargo and Jiro looked down at her, and a very small whimper escaped from Kargo's lips. Sachiko looked down at Jiro's jeans, and her eyes widened. "Jiro, why's there a lump in your—"

"I think I'm gonna go to the bathroom," Jiro said thickly, and he walked out of the kitchen jerkily. Kargo didn't move, but he continued to hold Sachiko tightly to his body as he whimpered very quietly, like a child.

What Goku found astonishing was the fact that Sachiko didn't seemed at all perturbed by the Namek's strange behavior. "What's wrong with him, Sachi?" Goku asked concernedly. "Is Kargo okay?"

"Hmm? Oh, he's fine!" Sachiko grinned, leaning into Kargo's hold. "He gets like this sometimes. The last time this happened, I went swimming in the river with him, and showed him my new swimming suit! And then he started hugging me like this for no reason…not that I mind. I like the hugging!"

"Oh!" Goku scratched his head in confusion, before he shrugged. "Well, if this is normal for him, then okay! Let's just eat!"

"YEAH!" Sachiko cheered, trying and failing to escape Kargo's possessive grasp. "Kargo! Leggo of me! I wanna go eat!"

"Kargo…what a disturbed boy," Korin muttered, shaking his head as he edged his way out of the kitchen unnoticed.

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

"I think that's it," Hideaki said, wiping the sweat from her brow as she stepped away from the last windowpane. She looked over the repairs, and grinned. "Hideaki, old girl," she congratulated herself, "you did it again!"

"The house looks great!" Roshi commented, putting away the last can of paint. "Hideaki, I don't know what I could have done without you…"

"I don't want to know, thanks," Hideaki said quickly, capsulizing her tools. "Let's keep our thoughts strictly in our imagination, okay old man?"

"But there must be some way I can repay you!"

"You don't have to. Really. You don't."

"Oh, but I must!" Roshi insisted, a glint in his eye. "How about I treat you to dinner? Some nice food, a little candlelight, a walk along the beach…"

Hideaki inwardly cringed. "No thanks."

"But surely—MMPH!" A small metal object suddenly flew straight into Master Roshi's mouth, and the old man started choking as it got stuck halfway down his windpipe. Roshi gasped and fell to the ground, convulsing wildly, and he looked imploringly at Hideaki as he scratched at his throat.

"Oh GODS!" Hideaki panicked briefly, before she took a breath and pulled the old man to his feet. _Okay, Hideaki! Remember how to do the Heimlich maneuver! Remember, or else this old geezer's gonna die!_ She wrapped her arms just below the old man's diaphragm, and placed one hand over the other. Then…

"AAAAGGGGH!"

Hideaki pulled back as hard as she could, and almost immediately the small metal object popped out from Roshi's throat, landing with a quiet thump in the sand just a few feet away. "Roshi!" She thumped the old man hard on the back, as he tried to regain his breath. "Roshi, are you okay?"

"I-I'll be f-fine…" Roshi, in what appeared to be fatigue, rested his head against Hideaki's large breasts as he panted quietly. A lecherous grin soon appeared on his face, and one of his hands slowly trailed up her backside. "I'll be just _fine_…eh-heh-heh! OW!"

The turtle hermit went sailing into the sea several hundred miles away, a large, red imprint of a hand burned right into the side of his cheek. "PERVERT!" Hideaki screamed covering her breasts as she stomped back into the house. "Lousy, no good, horny old toad…"

Unintentionally, her foot brushed against the small metal object in the sand, and a second later a large hologram popped into the air, the figure giving her a cherry smile through his face scarf. "Hello, Miss Kutai!"

Hideaki froze on the spot. Very, very slowly, she turned towards the hologram, which was still smiling at her as it gave her a little wave. For a moment, all Hideaki could do was stare at the projection with wide, terrified eyes.

Then, she screamed. "AAAAAAAGGGGGH!"

Kargo and Jiro ran out of Kame House at the scream, alarmed at the sudden disruption. "Sis!" Jiro yelled. "What the fuck is wrong with you—HOLY SHIT!" Jiro's eyes widened at the sight of a floating, holographic Tsu. "What the hell is going on here?"

"That's what I'd like to know!" Kargo cried, his eyes equally as wide. "Kikai!" the Namek boy yelled as the disgruntled blonde woman came outside. "Look!"

Kikai looked up, and she paled when she saw the grinning Tsu. "Oh, shit…"

"What the hell are you doing here?" Jiro yelled, his bravado radiating off of his body in full force. "If you're after the last dragonball, forget it! The Four Star Ball is ours!"

The holographic Tsu merely smiled at Jiro. "I had no idea that _you_ were the ones who had the last dragonball," Tsu said cheerfully. "I thought it was buried under the rubble of my old base! But thank you so much for telling me this, young man."

"Yeah, thanks a lot, rich boy," Kargo said sarcastically. "Anything else you want to tell him? Your shoe size, perhaps?"

"Freak, just shut up!"

"But where is little Miss Sachiko?" Tsu asked, looking around the beach curiously. "I want to say hello to the sweet child…"

"You stay away from her," Kikai hissed, stepping forward. Tsu cocked his head at her, before his lips curved upwards.

"Ah, Miss Eighteen. As lovely as ever. Oh, and I must thank you."

"For what?"

"For the information we've learned from observing the technology used to create you! Dr. Rei is having a marvelous time with her new experiment, and Piccolo seems to be a much better mind slave now that we've upgraded him."

The blonde woman growled, while Kargo bared his fangs. "You bastard!" the Namek boy yelled. "You give my son-of-a-bitch father back, right now!"

"Ah, yes! That brings me to my initial point!" The holographic Tsu reached into his pockets and pulled out a piece of paper, unfolding it as he held it in front of his face. "Dear invitees," he read aloud, though how he saw the letter was a mystery, as his eyes were completely covered by the scarf. "Welcome and hello! I shake you warmly by the hand as I extend my invitation for you to join the 175th Tenkaichi Budokai! Fighters and martial artists from all over the world will be attending this spectacular, once-in-every-four-years event, and I hope you will not miss this opportunity!" Tsu folded the letter and stuffed it back into his pockets, grinning.

The others were not as amused. "What does that have to do with _us_, you asshole?" Jiro snapped. "If you can't tell, we kinda have to track you down and destroy you for ruining our lives."

"I must insist you participate in the Tenkaichi Budokai," Tsu said with a smile, thought it became slightly strained due to Jiro's words.

"Why should we?" Kargo retorted.

"Because, if one of you young whippersnappers manages to win the tournament, then I will return to you the Namek, Piccolo. I will give you the other six dragonballs that you desire so much. If Sachiko enters—" here Tsu smiled deviously "—and if she or one of you emerge victorious… I will reveal to you all everything you wish to know. Why the villages were attacked. Why I've been pursuing Sachiko-chan for so long. Why I've allowed Piccolo to live and become Rei's slave…"

At this, everyone fell silent. Glances were exchanged, but it was clear that everyone was thinking. _What the hell was going on?_

Hideaki pulled Jiro to the side. "What about us?" she whispered to her brother. "No offense, but we don't really have a real reason to be here, and I have a sick feeling that this is a trap…"

"Oh, you'll _have_ to enter, Miss and Master Kutai," Tsu said loudly, jerking the siblings from their conversation. "If you don't, then you won't stand a chance of getting your company back."

That certainly got their attention. Jiro raised a brow at Tsu, and crossed his arms. "Excuse me? What does our company have to do with the Tenkaichi Budokai?"

"It has _everything_ to do with the Tenkaichi Budokai. Should you not enter, then my associate inside Capsule Corps will reveal that your father is no longer the majority stockholder of the company."

"WHAT?" Jiro and Hideaki simultaneously gasped, before Jiro growled and clenched his fists. "You're lying," he snarled. "Dad wouldn't lose the company."

Tsu grinned, and pulled a cell phone from the inside of his jacket. "All it takes is one phone call," Tsu said jovially. "One phone call, and I can arrange an emergency meeting of the Capsule Corps chairmen. One phone call, and your father will lose his seat as C.E.O. You'll lose everything, young man…your wealth, your home, your endless amounts of material possessions…"

"ENOUGH!" Hideaki screamed, covering her ears. "Stop it! We'll enter, okay? We'll enter!"

"Hideaki-chan!" Sachiko and Goku finally ran out of the house, each having a large leg of roast in their mouths. Sachiko froze when she saw the holographic image of Tsu, and the roast fell from her mouth in shock. "What's _he _doing here?" Sachiko cried, pointing at Tsu in horror. "And how come he's all see-through? Is he a ghost now?"

"My sweet child," Tsu said gently, "I assure you, I am no ghost."

"Wha' oo whan?" Goku mumbled through a mouthful of meat. Tsu sighed, and crossed his arms over his chest.

"Though I have absolutely no idea what you just uttered," Tsu said to Goku, "I will assume that you've asked me why I'm here. Well, as most of these people here have just heard what I've said not ten minutes ago, I'll leave the explaining up to them. By the way—" Tsu grinned "—the tournament begins in approximately six weeks. Have fun training, kiddos!"

With that, the old master disappeared, his laughter echoing throughout the small island. The small metal object in the sand let out a hiss of smoke, before it broke into hundred of tiny, unusable pieces.

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

Rei gave Tsu a cold, unemotional glare as she walked through the rubble. "You seem to be getting too attached to them," she droned. "It may interfere with our ultimate goal."

"Oh, come now!" Tsu protested, giving Rei a pinch on the cheek. "Where's the fun if we don't mess with our adversaries from time to time? Really my dear, you should try to get more enjoyment out of life!"

The doctor merely sighed, before she continued to overturn large beams of steel in the debris. She lifted a wall and brushed aside some dirt, before she smiled. "Tsu. I found him. And he's still alive."

"Really? Oh, joy!" Tsu bounded over to her side, and grinned when his gaze fell upon her discovery. "This is wonderful news! I'll have Piccolo come and move him to our new laboratory later. I know you'll want to experiment on him…" Rei merely nodded her head as Tsu laughed in excitement.

Lying before them, nearly dead but still breathing, was Ryoushi Ganjou.

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

**Random Audience Member #3 (who happens to have black hair and blue eyes): BOOO! This chapter sucked! It suckity-suck-suck-sucked—AAAAGH! (Gets attacked by Bloodthirsty Squirrelly Squirrel)**

**Sachiko: Clean up on Aisle Seven!**

**Kargo: Let us have a moment of silence for Random Audience Member #3. (Silence) Now, back to business. (Stares at Jiro's nurse outfit) **

**Jiro: …**

**Kargo: …**

**Jiro: …**

**Kargo: BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!**

**Jiro: (Twitching) Goddamn it, freak! STOP LAUGHING! I don't look that stupid, even if this outfit **_**is**_** for women…**

**Sachiko: Kargo! Don't laugh! I think Nurse Jiro looks pretty-ful. Don't you agree, nurse?**

**Jiro: …**

**Sachiko: Anyhoo…next time, the training begins for me, Kargo, and Jiro! But as Goku-san can't stay on Earth very long, it's up to Kikai-san and Master Roshi to train us! But how can we win if I can't even control my Super Saiyajin state?**

**Kargo: 'Tis a question we cannot answer…as our author is a bitch.**

**Jiro: Amen to that.**

**Sachiko: JIRO! KARGO! Don't insult TURMOIL-san! She'll get really mad…**

**Jiro: Pfft. Whatever.**

**Sachiko: That's the spirit, Jiro! Show your niceness to the world! (Kisses Jiro on cheek)**

**Jiro: (Turns red) Eep!**

**Kargo: (Explodes with anger) WTF?**

**Sachiko: Huh? What does "WTF" stand for?**


	46. Abnormality

Sachiko: Um, TURMOIL-san does not own any of the Dragonball franchise. Please don't sue her.

TURMOIL: Oh my god. Apologies are useless by now, aren't they?

Sachiko: Um. I think so. No one's here…(points at empty "Start-Up" studio, where there are no audience members at all)

TURMOIL: …

Sachiko: So…where were you?

TURMOIL: I was abducted by aliens.

Sachiko: (Gasps) REALLY?

TURMOIL: Of course not! Me muse for this story left! For MONTHS I stared at the computer and wrote nothing at all when it came to Dragonball…so I turned to other fandoms. But because I've caused a year long hiatus…god, I just have to give a huge apology to the people who were reading this…

Sachiko: (Sobbing) You abandoned us? PURPOSFULLY? AGAIN?

TURMOIL: Oh, stop your whining! I clubbed and chained myself down to get this thing going again, didn't I? And now…I give out HUGE thanks to all reviewers, to those who have this story on their Favorites and Alerts. You guys so totally rock.

Sachiko: But now you'll start working on this again, right?

TURMOIL: I'll try. Writing THIS chapter alone was laborious, but I'll definitely try.

Sachiko: …

_**Chapter Forty-Six: Abnormality **_

"Father! How could you lose the stocks?"

Hideaki stared frantically at her Vidwatch, her hands gripping the small mechanism so tightly that it was on the verge of shattering to bits once again. "Father! Father, are you still there? TALK TO ME, DAMN YOU! _TALK TO ME!_"

"Give me that!" Jiro snapped, and snatched the Vidwatch away from his sister's hands. Looking at the broken man on the screen, Jiro scowled angrily and gave President Kutai a fierce glare. "Fuck, dad! How the hell did you screw up like this? Hideaki and I only left you alone for only a couple of months! How could you run the fucking company into the fucking ground?"

"It's not my fault!" President Kutai cried, sobbing pathetically into his hands. "I don't know how it happened! This R.K.T. fellow…he stole the stocks right from under my nose! I think there might be a spy in the company, but as of yet, Katsu and I have no idea who it could be!"

"We're doomed!" Hideaki screeched, falling to her hands and knees in despair. "We're penniless! We'll have to live in the streets, take shelter in cardboard boxes, and survive on garbage and bugs! OW!" Hideaki stared at Jiro incredulously, clutching the back of her head where the younger boy had smacked her. "Jiro, you _jerk_! What the hell was that for?"

"For acting like an insane bitch!" Jiro yelled back, his eyes narrowed icily at his sister. "Damn it, sis, this isn't the time to fall apart! We have to think of a plan!" The young teen then turned back to his father, who was still sobbing away on the screen. "Dad, how much stock do you still have left? Is there any way we could delay a chairman meeting?"

A long, mournful wail was his only response.

"…I guess not." Jiro groaned in frustration and threw the Vidwatch back to his sister, who yelped as she deftly caught the device midair.

"Jiro!" she shrieked. "Be _careful_! I'm not going to fix this damn watch again if you break it!"

The young boy only snorted in response, before he slumped onto Roshi's couch and covered his eyes with one hand. "Damn," he muttered. "That means we really _do_ have to enter that stupid tournament…"

He could hear the grunts and yells of Sachiko and Goku as they fiercely sparred outside, and the corner of his lips twisted downwards into a scowl.

_I hope Baba can get an extension on Goku's stay_, Jiro thought to himself. _If she doesn't, then…hell. I don't want to think that far._

* * *

"What?" Lord Emma stared at Baba in astonishment. "Surely you're joking. You _are_ joking, aren't you? You know I can't do that!"

"It's only for six weeks, plus the day of the tournament!" Baba insisted, her wrinkled face frowning in displeasure at Emma's reluctance. "The perpetrator responsible for this whole mess is entering the Tenkaichi Budokai, and this may be our only chance to find him!"

"…hmm…"

"Lord Emma?"

"…you say 'six weeks' as if it were a short-term vacation."

"LORD EMMA!"

"Why doesn't Goku just do what he normally does?" the red ogre argued. "Track down this Tsu fiend by sensing his life energy, and then beat the living tar out of him? That's what Goku did with every other villain in the universe!"

The pink-haired witched sighed, and rubbed her temples. "Lord Emma, don't you think that if we could track him down, we would have done it already? The problem is, Goku and the others are unable to sense Tsu's energy. My fool of a brother told me that he couldn't feel the man's ki even when they were face to face!"

Lord Emma's eyes widened. "H-how is that possible? Is this Tsu an android? But Dr. Gero is dead…"

"HOW WOULD I KNOW WHAT TSU IS?" Baba shrieked. "My ability to see the future is still blocked!"

"Well, you don't have to yell!" Emma shouted back, unintentionally making several of his worker ogres scramble away in fear. "I'm just trying to make sense of things here! Give me a damn break, would you? I can't_—what do you want_?" The giant red ogre frustratingly looked down to face a nervous looking blue worker. "Can't you see I'm BUSY right now?"

"Forgive me, Lord Emma, sir," the blue ogre said in a quaking voice. "B-but I'm afraid there's bad news. We've been looking through the Book of Existence, you see, and…there are a few more pages missing…"

"WHAT?"

"We've looked everywhere, but we just can't seem to find them…"

"Lord Emma!" Baba yelled, startling the two ogres. "I'm very sorry to interrupt you in the middle of your paperwork duties, but I do believe that we're talking about the sake of planet Earth here!"

"Oh, just go on, Baba!" Lord Emma snapped, now searching frantically through the large, thick red Book of Existence. "I'm listening!"

"The point is," the fortuneteller continued calmly, her facial muscles twitching visibly from the effort, "we now know that this Tsu character is partially responsible for the hordes of deaths we've had for the past several months. We also know that Android Eighteen is no match for him, and that Tsu's powers, though undetectable, ascends that of a normal Super Saiyajin."

Lord Emma stopped flipping through the pages, and stared at Baba in astonishment.

"What this means," Baba went on, "is that Sachiko's new abilities won't be enough to stop him. She can barely even control her powers at present, and I'm sure that her age, size, and inexperience will do little more than hinder her."

"I see…" For a moment, there was a tense silence as the large red ogre bit down on his lip nervously. Then, he sighed and rubbed his temples. "Baba…to allow Goku to stay on Earth for six weeks without the use of the dragonballs, I would have to talk with Mother Izanami. You know that as the Goddess of Death, she dislikes to be disturbed."

"I understand."

"Even the other Gods are terrified of her! She might kill you just for disturbing her!"

The old fortuneteller frowned, and gave Lord Emma a stubborn glare. "You _must_ speak to her. Tsu has already stolen the lives of several hundred humans on Earth, and this was only because he wanted to attain Sachiko."

"I realize this, but—"

"Heaven forbid," Baba went on, completely ignoring Emma's protests as she did so, "that Tsu tries to aim for universal domination. Granted, he doesn't seem to fit the standard profile of those who want absolute power. However…on the chance that he _does_ want to take over the universe, who would stop him? Do you honestly think that an indifferent cyborg, a little girl, a prepubescent Namek, and a bratty teenaged boy can stop him?"

Silence.

"Even though Goku is trying his best to train Sachiko right now, the girl will need more than one day with Goku to ready herself. Also, having Goku there will boost their chances of catching Tsu. You know that!"

More silence.

"WELL?"

"…you're right," Lord Emma admitted softly. He hung his great head, and sighed. "Goku is needed on Earth, come hell or high water. Very well. I will speak to Mother Izanami immediately. But this is only for Goku, do you understand? Only Goku, and only for six weeks! Izanami will have my head if you ask for more!"

* * *

"HYAAAAAH!"

Sachiko leapt into the air, twisting her body elegantly out of the way as Goku threw a punch at her solar plexus. His fist sailed inches underneath her stomach, and Sachiko immediately countered by throwing a hard kick at her ancestor's face, which missed as Goku quickly jumped out of her reach.

"Gotta go faster than that, Sachi!" Goku ordered sternly as Sachiko shot after him. "If you want to beat Tsu, then you'll have to step it up a notch!"

A whirl of wind suddenly whipped up the sand around Sachiko's legs. The small girl gasped as a golden aura suddenly surrounded Goku's body, changing his black hair to gold, changing his dark eyes to a bright, dangerous green.

For a split second, Sachiko didn't know what to do.

"Sachi-chan!" Kargo yelled from above, where he was currently fighting a losing battle with Master Roshi and Kikai. One of his arms was dangling lifelessly at his side, and his green face was _covered_ in bruises, but he managed to give her a smile as he shouted, "Fight fire with fire! Turn Super Saiyajin too! Then you can kick Goku's ass easily! OW!" Kargo yelped as Kikai slapped him hard upside the head.

"Don't help her, you twit!" Kikai snapped, grabbing Kargo's good arm and twisting it brutally. "She has to figure this stuff out on her own!"

Sachiko winced as Kargo struggled to pull out of Kikai's grasp, but she forcefully turned all of her focus into transforming. She closed her eyes, clenched her hands, and concentrated on pushing her energy to its highest possible point.

_Come on_, she told herself, forcing her ki to rise as her body began to strain. _I gotta get stronger, or else I won't be able to beat Tsu! Goku-san might not be able to stay, and if he leaves, there's no chance of getting Okaasan and Grandfather back if I don't get stronger! TURN POWERFUL, YOU STUBBORN BODY!_

She pushed herself, pushed her mental capabilities as far as it could go, and just like that, she suddenly felt that strange taste of unknown strength, of vast and seemingly unlimited power…

"HAAAAAAAAAAH!"

In seconds, her physical transformation mimicked that of Goku's, and the small girl couldn't help but grin at her shocked ancestor as he and Kargo gaped at her—neither of them had seen her previous transformation, and both had doubted her abilities to transform once again. But she did it.

"Sachi-chan!" Goku, still in his Super Saiyajin state, beamed at her proudly as he laughed and pulled her into a fierce hug. "Oh, WOW! Wait until I tell the others! Gohan, Goten, Pan—they're not going to believe it! This is—this is unbelievable! Hahahaha!"

Forgetting their fight, Goku twirled Sachiko around in elation, and the small girl was more than happy to comply with her ancestor's cheerful mood.

_I did it!_ Sachiko giggled and held Goku tightly as he danced with her along the beach, ignoring the stares they were receiving from Kikai, Kargo, and Master Roshi. _I became all glowey and strong again! I did it—_

Suddenly, she choked. She…she couldn't breathe…what was happening?

Her body jerked unnaturally in Goku's arms, and she felt a huge strain at her head, at her neck, and at her chest. There was a clawing feeling…as if something wanted to rip out from inside her body…

"What's happening to her?" Goku cried, as he quickly laid her upon the sand. His large hands held her jerking body down, but it did no good as she continued to twist and writhe in his grasp. Kargo landed right besides them, grabbing one of her flailing arms as he tried to talk her down, tried to get her body under control, but Sachiko was barely aware of them.

_It hurts! _Her mind screamed as she tried to fight off the white-hot pain that seared through her muscles and nerves. She didn't know why this was happening…this didn't happen last time, and it hurt so much that she was starting to go insane…

_It hurts…it__** hurts**__…IT HURTS! IT'S NOT SUPPOSED TO HURT!_

Throwing her head back, Sachiko screamed as she released her hold upon her new power, and quickly, the golden aura disappeared form her body. Her hair returned to its dark blue, and her eyes lost its color of light green.

The blinding pain subsided, and the atmosphere suddenly seemed much quieter.

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

"You are smiling, Tsu."

"Hmm? I'm sorry—did you say something, Rei?"

The middle-aged woman gazed at her superior indifferently through her thick, obscuring glasses. "Your stress levels have decreased sharply in the last two minutes, and your endorphin levels are off the chart. I deduce that your attitude change it is not about Ganjou, for you have not even spoken to him since the operation. What is the reason behind your elated mood?"

The old master chuckled, before he smiled genially at the stoic woman. "Well…to be honest, I'm not quite sure, my dear."

"Are there problems with your hormonal processes? Should I examine you?"

"No, no, no, no! It's nothing of that sort, my dear! It's just that…" Tsu tapped his finger thoughtfully against his chin. "I just have a feeling that our little game has taken a rather interesting turn."

"Is Ke behind this?" Rei asked, her lips thinning in displeasure.

"No, I don't think so. He's off at Capsule Corps, setting up that Tenkaichi Budokai gamble with Yuki Kutai, if memory serves me correctly…"

"What about _him_?" Rei pressed, her monotone voice taking on an uncharacteristically sharp edge. "What about our superior?"

"Hmm?" Tsu blinked for a moment, before he smiled. "Oh yes! The idiot! What about him, Rei dear?"

"He is not pleased with us. He is blaming us for the failed attempt at retrieving the girl. He might—"

And here, Tsu interrupted the doctor with a loud snort, waving a hand carelessly in the air in apparent dismissal. "Pish posh! All we had were orders to _help_ the fool, and we did just that. It's _his_ job to kill the girl, not ours. Now, no more of this nonsense, please. Go back to programming Ganjou."

"Of course, Tsu."

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

As the four youths sat cross-legged on the sandy beach of Kame Island, Sachiko's eyes darted quickly and anxiously from Kargo, to Jiro, and finally to Hideaki.

After the failed transformation, Kikai had immediately halted all further training. Without even looking at Sachiko, the blonde woman had wordlessly dragged Goku and Master Roshi into the house, unceremoniously kicking out a startled Hideaki and less-than-pleased Jiro at the same time.

"What the HELL is your problem, you cybernetic bitch?" Jiro had screamed, only to be ignored and disregarded by older woman. When he had attempted to get back inside, the woman had, in response, slammed the door hard on the human teen's face, and bolted the entrance shut.

All this had occurred three hours ago. Since then, the four youths had done little but loiter around the small island, Hideaki and Sachiko occasionally picking up some seashells while Jiro and Kargo did their best to avoid each other and NOT get into any fights.

A further upset Sachiko was the last thing they needed, after all.

"Why did the grown-ups go inside?" the small girl finally asked, her voice small and meek. "Why won't they let us in? I'm getting hungry again…" She had tried earlier to peek through the windows, but Kikai had quickly pulled down the curtains to ensure the adults' privacy.

"Maybe they're talking about why you can't transform," Kargo replied quietly. "I betcha Goku's talking with Kikai and Master Roshi right now, trying to figure out a way to get you to transform perfectly."

"But what was wrong with the way I did it before?" Sachiko gave Kargo a look of confusion. "I pushed my power to its maximum, and I transformed for a second, didn't I?"

"Well _yeah_, but…" Kargo frowned, and bit his lip. "When you first transformed, you were fighting Tsu—" at this, Sachiko's eyes narrowed dangerously "—and…and you weren't exactly in a calm emotional state."

"Hmm?" Sachiko blinked at him cluelessly.

"What Kargo means," Hideaki quickly added, "is that when Tsu was beating the holy crap out of us, you were angry. Heck, you were _pissed_."

"You were ready to rip that old geezer's balls off!" Jiro joined in, grinning devilishly.

"Tsu wasn't holding any balls," Sachiko said innocently, her voice filled to the brim with confusion. "What are you guys talking about?"

Silence. Then, a nervous cough from Hideaki.

"ANYWAY," Kargo went on, rubbing his temples in exasperation. "What I'm trying to say is that…that you were really angry when you were fighting Tsu. Your anger triggered a certain reaction that led to your transformation, and I think that—AAAAAACCCCK!"

Kargo suddenly yelped as Jiro shoved his way in between the Namek and the small girl, bumping Kargo back a good five feet as the human teen made himself comfortable beside the ever oblivious Sachiko. "Listen kid," Jiro said as he patted the small, now definitely confused girl on the head. "Since the freak is obviously going to take all day with explaining this whole Super Saiyajin crap to you, I'm going to make it short and simple. If you want to transform again, then get pissed off."

"Huh?" Sachiko blinked. "You mean I have to get angry…on_ purpose_?"

"Exactly. Think back to last time, kid. What made you so angry that you felt the need to go all super on us? Maybe if we can get to the root of it, we can get you to transform again."

Sachiko thought for a moment, her eyes slowly wandering from Jiro to Kargo, before she blushed a bright pink. "Oh. I guess I transformed because…" Sachiko stared down at her lap, and twisted her hands in nervousness. "I transformed because I wanted to protect—"

"HEY!" Kargo stomped up to Jiro and grabbed the human teen by the hair, grinning evilly when Jiro let out a shriek of pain. "I don't think you've realized this, but…I WAS HAVING A NICE CONVERSATION WITH SACHIKO, AND I'M NOT _FINISHED_ YET!"

"GET THE FUCK OFF ME!" Jiro twisted out of Kargo's vice-like grip, massaging his scalp furiously with his hands as he glared hatefully at the still grinning Namek. "You son-of-a-bitch! If I get one split end, I'll lay your ass out all over this beach!"

"Well, that just sounded totally wrong," Hideaki commented quietly to Sachiko, whose face was still flushed as she watched Kargo and Jiro tackle one another in the sand, trading blows and hurling insults of the worst kind as they tried to scratch each other's eyes out.

"Fucking rich bastard!"

"Alien faggot!"

"MAMA'S BOY!"

"DADDY'S REJECT!"

At this point, the small girl knew better than to try to get in the middle of the fight. It was better to wait it out, and let them get some frustration out of their systems. Besides, Kargo and Jiro would never _really_ try to kill each other.

_Kargo…Jiro…_

She found herself giggling when they both ended up punching each other in the face, resulting in a double knockout for both stubborn boys. When Sachiko went over to comfort the two of them, Kargo and Jiro both tried and failed to hide their (obvious) injuries from her. It was funny how they always tried to cheer her up and in the end, it was _her_ tending to _them_.

Still…doing this for the two boys made her temporarily forget her problems, and she decided that for now, it didn't matter that she couldn't turn Super Saiyajin. They would find a way to make things work. They would find a way.

* * *

"So? Do you have a way?"

Kikai glared unpleasantly at Goku, who merely scratched the back of his head nervously in response. "Geez, Eighteen…what do you want me to say? I don't know what happened out there, and I doubt that Sachi-chan knows what happened either."

"Then that's it?" the blond woman snapped, crossing her arms in displeasure as her frown deepened. "Sachiko can't turn Super Saiyajin for more than ten seconds, and there's nothing we can do to help her figure out why?"

"Well, this has never happened before!" Goku protested. "Once Gohan learned how to turn Super Saiyajin, he never had a problem transforming again. And Goten already learned how to transform by the time I got my life back, so…" He trailed off.

"Ugh." Kikai made a noise of disgust, before she walked back over to the window and pulled the curtains back slightly. Her blue eyes fell upon the small girl, and her hard, cold expression softened slightly. "Maybe we should try endurance training," the blonde woman murmured quietly.

Goku gazed at her curiously. "Endurance training? Like, we put weights on her all day, or something like that?"

"That's not exactly what I had in mind, but it's similar. If we force Sachiko's body to strengthen while it's still in its base form, then maybe she'll be able to handle her powers better in her transformed state."

"Maybe we're looking at this the wrong way," Master Roshi interrupted. "Maybe the problem isn't in the transformation. Maybe it's Sachiko_ herself_ that's the problem."

Kikai and Goku both turned to the turtle hermit with confused looks and raised brows. "Explain, old man," Kikai said flatly.

"Well…" Master Roshi glanced towards the window, where he caught sight of Sachiko talking quietly to Hideaki, with the sullen looking Kargo and Jiro hovering right besides them. "Back when we were all held prisoner by Tsu and that psychotic but strangely attractive doctor—"

"Don't remind me," Kikai cut in rudely, making a face as she tried not to remember the horrid events that had transpired less than a day before. "That bastard Tsu _changed my clothes_ while I was unconscious! Who knows what that FREAK could done to me while I was knocked out?"

Despite the situation at present, Master Roshi couldn't help but show an interest at this statement. "He changed your clothes while you were unconscious? Hmm! Do go on…"

"Keep your mind out of the gutter old man. I just want to beat that Tsu creep and get on with my life. It's a matter of principle."

"Aww, shucks." Master Roshi hung his head in disappointment, before he sighed and continued on in a more serious manner. "Well, as I was saying…that doctor mentioned that Sachiko wasn't natural. That she was some sort of experiment."

Goku blinked, and tilted his head to the side in confusion. "An experiment? I don't get it. You mean, she's like one of those science projects that Gohan used to make for his university, or something like that?"

"Oh my god." Kikai slowly massaged her temples. "That's got to be one of the biggest understatements ever made."

"But she seems fine!" Goku protested. "I mean, come on! King Kai proved to me in Otherworld that she was my descendant! She's on my family tree, for crying out loud!"

"She's displaying the characteristics of a pure-blooded Saiyajin!" the turtle hermit retorted. "After six hundred years, don't you think it's a little strange to see a descendant with a diluted bloodline acting as though she's a genuine Saiyajin?"

Goku said nothing. There was nothing he could say that could argue with _that_ little fact.

Pointing at the brown, furry tail that was coming out of Goku's backside, the old man said sternly, "Goku, I don't know how much of a bond you've developed with that girl, and I certainly don't want to know how you even know her under these strange circumstances, but I'll tell you this much. She's not normal, and if we're going to help her control her powers, we have to know why she's physically the way she is now! Who knows what might happen if something should go terribly wrong with her transformation?"

Goku and Kikai fell silent.

Finding out the truth behind Sachiko's physical state. In theory, that seemed like the best course of action, but all three adults in the room knew that it just wasn't possible. Sachiko herself didn't know the truth behind her birth, and neither did any of her companions. The only other people who knew about Sachiko were Tsu and Dr. Rei, and…

Well, it would be a cold day in H.F.I.L. before they would ask Tsu and Rei for help.

Suddenly, the silence was broken by a shill scream that came from outside.

"HYYYYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

She hoped that this would work, because she didn't know what else to do if it didn't.

"Now, Sachiko-chan," Hideaki said cheerfully as she braided Sachiko's long, dark blue hair, "let's just talk for a bit, okay? Have some quality girl time. God knows, we never got a real chance to do this since you've stayed at our mansion in West City. And girl time means that it's just for us _girls_!" Hideaki added angrily, glaring daggers at the two boys who continuously hovered around them like buzzing, irritating little bees.

Kargo and Jiro yelped and scooted away by several feet, completely taken aback by Hideaki's less-than-cheerful attitude towards them. "Damn! What's her problem?" Kargo cried, keeping his distance from the still glaring Hideaki.

"It's probably the bitch's time of the month…"

"I HEARD THAT JIRO-KUN! You want me to come over there? Because I WILL!"

"Fuck you!"

"Fuck you too! How about that?"

"Hideaki-chan!" Sensing a possible disaster on the horizon, Sachiko grabbed Hideaki's arm just as she was about to get up to chase after Jiro. "Hideaki-chan, just calm down…he doesn't mean it!"

"Yes I do!" Jiro called out, which only served to enrage his older sister even more.

"That little demon-seed! I'll—"

"Hideaki-chaaaaaan!" Sachiko gave the older girl a pleading look, her eyes watering and her lips curved into its cutest available pout. "Please, just calm down! Please?"

_Oh no, not again! Hideaki, don't LOOK at those damn puppy dog eyes! Don't fall for the same trick ten times! Don't!_

_Ah, crap. Who the hell am I kidding?_

"…fine." Hideaki plopped back down onto the sand, and resumed braiding Sachiko's hair. Still, it didn't stop her from muttering insults at Jiro from time to time. "That lousy no-good bastard of a sibling…doesn't know how lucky he is to have a sister like me…I should just take him by the neck and—GAH!" Hideaki tugged at a lock of Sachiko's hair a little too roughly, causing the girl to yelp in pain. When Hideaki realized what she had done, she immediately panicked and went into a series of apologies. "EEEEEK! I'm so sorry, Sachiko-chan!"

"I-it's okay…ow."

"Oh, I was just angry—not at you though! It's that no-good Jiro and his goddamn—"

"Why do you and Kargo get mad at Jiro so much?" Sachiko interrupted, her eyes gazing at Hideaki curiously as she rubbed the sore part of her head. "I understand that Jiro might be a mean old poopyhead sometimes, but I've never gotten that mad at him."

Hideaki snorted, and brushed through a tangle in Sachiko's hair. "That's because you're a saint, Sachiko-chan. And besides…you don't get mad, from what I've seen. Jiro makes you depressed and sad with his attitude. That's a lot worse, in my opinion."

"It is?"

"_Yes_."

"Oh." Sachiko looked thoughtful for a moment, before she shrugged. "Well…Jiro is Jiro. I don't think we can change who he is."

"You'd be surprised, kiddo. He's changed a little bit because of you. And Kargo? Don't even get me _started_ on him."

"Huh?" The small girl looked up at Hideaki with wide, confused eyes. "What'cha mean by that?"

"Oh, nothing. I'll explain it when you're older." Hideaki then frowned as she tried to break through the knots. "Sachiko…"

"Yes?"

"I want to talk to you about the whole Super Saiyajin situation you're in." Hideaki suddenly felt Sachiko tense under her hands, and the older girl knew she had to talk quickly. "I don't want you to think that you're failing anyone! Because you're not…"

"I think Kargo and Jiro are gonna fight again," the small girl said suddenly. She tried to get up, to get away from Hideaki and towards the two boys. "We should probably go over there and stop them."

Hideaki grabbed Sachiko by the shoulders and held the small girl tightly, frowning when Sachiko lowered her gaze to the ground. "Sachiko, just listen to me for a minute…please. What Tsu and Rei did to us that day…what he did to Ryoushi at the end—"

"I don't wanna talk about it," Sachiko said suddenly, her voice low and quiet.

"I know you hate them for what they did to Kikai, Jiro, and Kargo, because I hate them for it too—"

"I don't wanna talk about it."

"I want you to use that hatred!" Hideaki's hands grasped at Sachiko's shoulders, gripping at them so tightly that had Sachiko been a normal human child, there would have been bruising. "I want you to remember each time you transform why you need to beat Tsu. I want you to remember how they took Kikai's limbs. I want you to remember how they hurt Jiro…and Kargo! Have you forgotten what they did to Kargo?"

"Stop it!" Sachiko's voice cracked, and Hideaki could see that she was trying her best not to cry. It almost broke the older girl's heart, but she knew she had to keep pushing. Their futures depended on it…

"Hey, what's going on?" In the distance, Kargo and Jiro turned their gazes towards the two girls, but Hideaki ignored them both and focused all of her attentions on Sachiko's crumbling will.

"Sachiko, I want you to remember how Tsu tried to roast Kargo alive!"

"Stop it!"

"I want you to remember how Kargo almost died thanks to that masked bastard!"

"_Stop it!_"

I want you to get stronger, so that you make him pay for everything he did to us!"

"STOP IT!"

A flash of light suddenly blinded her vision, and Hideaki was painfully knocked back by a huge wave of energy as the wind whipped up the sand all around her. Kargo and Jiro cried out in shock and flew over to her, pulling her away as a loud scream punctured the once calm island atmosphere.

"HYYYYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

Goku, Kikai, and Master Roshi all burst out of the house at the sound of Sachiko's screams, but they all stopped dead with terror at the sight of the small girl. It was terrible—Sachiko was kneeling on the ground, her blonde hair spilling all around her as she twisted and writhed in obvious pain. The golden aura blazed all around her in angry yellow flames, and for a second, Hideaki thought she saw tears coming out of the child's green eyes…

…_fifteen…sixteen…seventeen…eighteen…nineteen…twenty!_

And then, just like that, the transformation vanished, and Sachiko laid limply on the ground, her hair blue and her eyes golden once more.

For a moment, no one could speak. Then, Kargo, Goku, and Master Roshi rushed over to the half conscious Sachiko, trying to get her to stand up as Jiro and Kikai stomped over towards Hideaki, giving her the most furious glares Hideaki had ever had the misfortune to receive.

"What the FUCK was that about?" Jiro yelled, pointing at the small girl who was trying, and failing, to get to her feet.

"You'd better have a good explanation for this," Kikai agreed, her eyes narrowed icily at the older Kutai sibling.

Hideaki gulped nervously, before she forced a small, bitter smile to her face. "I always have a good explanation for my actions. You said that Sachiko wasn't able to last for more than ten seconds before, right? Well…now she can last twenty."

* * *

**Kargo: Next time, the training commences, and Baba comes back with good news…I hope. Also, while Goku tries to get Sachiko to lengthen the period of time she's in Super Saiyajin mode, Jiro and I are stuck trying to just get our strength up! But I'm not done yet! I'm gonna convince that old hermit to teach me some of those moves of his!**

**Jiro: As if that'll ever happen.**

**Kargo: Oh, shut up! I'm just glad that the author re-found her DBZ muse. **

**Hideaki: Hey guys? During that godawful long hiatus, I've done a statistical analysis of our individual popularity levels with the readers.**

**Kargo: Really?**

**Hideaki: Uh-huh. And Sachiko-chan is undeniably the most liked character in the story.**

**Sachiko: (grins) YAY! People like me!**

**Jiro: What about me?**

**Hideaki: You and Kargo are split.**

**Kargo and Jiro: (enraged) WHAT?  
**

**Kargo: How can half the readers prefer that slandering jackass over ME?**

**Jiro: How can half the readers prefer a walking freak of nature over my bad boy sexiness?**

**Kargo: (snorts) You are so NOT sexy. Even a pile of dog crap is sexier than **_**you**_

**Jiro: (furious) WHAT? Why I outta—**

**Sachiko: Sexy? What does that mean?**

**Kargo: …**

**Jiro: …**

**Hideaki: Sachiko-chan, you don't need to know. But anyway…Kargo, Jiro-kun, why the hell are you two complaining? People don't even acknowledge**_** me!**_

**Kargo: You got a point there. Even the Bloodthirsty Squirrelly Squirrel gets more attention than you.**

**Hideaki: …**

**Sachiko: That's not true, Hideaki-chan! Lots of readers like you!**

**Bloodthirsty Squirrelly Squirrel: (Gnashes teeth in agreement)**

**Hideaki: Oh yeah? NAME THREE!**

**Sachiko: Easy! There's…um…there's…there's that crazy homeless guy who lives underneath the dumpster behind the studio! He likes you!**

**Hideaki:…well, now I feel worse. I'm just the stupid side character that TURMOIL will probably drop altogether in the sequel to this story, just like Akira Toriyama did with several of his characters in Dragonball Z!**

**Jiro: (carelessly) Yeah, pretty much. But you'll always be remembered in our hearts, sis.**

**Hideaki: …**


	47. It's Been Six Weeks Since You Looked

Hideaki: Ohmigod, I actually get to do one of these? Okay! TURMOIL-san does not, in any way, own the Dragonball franchise. But she hopes to one day meet Toriyama-san and ask him for his autograph. And a lifetime supply of Dragonball goodies.

(Outside "Start Up" studio)

Kargo: Why the hell aren't we allowed in? We're co-hosts, for crying out loud!

Jiro: I dunno! But when I tried to get in, that insane squirrel blocked the door and tried to eat me alive!

Kargo: Really? Damn…I wish he succeeded.

Jiro: (anger vein pops in forehead) You trying to start something, greenbean?

Kargo: Oh, calm down, hothead. Still…I wonder what they're doing in there?

(Inside "Start Up" studio)

TURMOIL: (Holds a "Which male character from DBZ are you most compatible with?" quiz) Okay ladies. The next question on the quiz is: If you did something wrong, what would be your initial reaction?

Eighteen: Why am I taking this stupid quiz? You know I'm married to Krillin!

Hideaki: And I already have Katsu as my boyfriend!

TURMOIL: Shut up, the both of you! Eighteen, sooner or later you're going to have to come to terms with the fact that your bald midget is dead in my story. And Hideaki, you—err; well…maybe you should just take the quiz for future references. (coughs nervously)

Hideaki: (now nervous) W-why? Is something terrible going to happen to my love life? Oh god, you're not going to tamper with my sexuality, are you!

Random Audience Member #1: YEEEEEEAH! Do it! Have Hideaki make out with Eighteen!

Hideaki and Eighteen: (pales) HELL NO, YOU PERVERT!

TURMOIL: Would you all just SHUT UP! (audience quiets down) GOOD! Now, all of you just do as I say and nothing traumatizing will happen! Now…back to the question… (lowers the quiz, and frowns) Well, I just apologize straight up if I know I did something wrong. You guys?

Hideaki: Um…well…it depends on what you define as wrong.

Eighteen: Hmm.. I always have a reason for my actions. Why should I apologize?

Sachiko: (grins) When I do something wrong, I always say, "Oopsie!"

Eighteen: …

TURMOIL: …

Hideaki: Um, Sachiko-chan? I don't think she meant for you to give such a narrow answer…

Sachiko: Huh? But what's wrong with what I said?

TURMOIL: Never mind! Start the damn chapter already!

_**Chapter Forty-Seven: It's Been Six Weeks Since You Looked At Me**_

"Is this…is this really necessary, Goku-san?"

"Don't worry, Sachi-chan! You guys look great! And I promise, by the end of six weeks, you three will be faster and stronger than ever before!"

"But—but—_ack_!"

Sachiko gasped as she struggled under the weight of her new training gi. While the outfit was the same in appearance as the orange and blue one that Goku usually wore, it was significantly heavier than any article of clothing she had ever tried on in her life. Who knew that two hundred pound shirts were made in this day and age?

The small girl tried lifting one foot in the air, only to wince when it rapidly fell back onto the sand with a dull thud. There was no way she could fight wearing these things. Heck, she could barely move _casually_ without straining herself—fighting was absolutely out of the question…

She turned her gaze towards Kargo, who was dressed in the exact same training gi as she was, and was currently having difficulty standing up properly. (Then again, Sachiko observed, he was doing a hell of a lot better than Jiro The human teen wasn't even on his feet after putting on the clothes. He was just lying down, face first, into the sand…)

The Namek boy painstakingly moved his heavy, boot covered feet as he glared up at the older Saiyajin man. "Goku," Kargo grunted, "I sometimes wonder if you and your friends were secretly _masochists and sadists_ in your lifetime. How the hell are we supposed to train in these things if we can barely move?"

"Oh, come on," Goku protested, grabbing Kargo's arm and pulling him upright as the Namek boy started to keel over. "Once you get used to the heaviness, then your strength will increase by a _lot_ before the day of the tournament! Give the weights a chance!"

"It's a physical and mental type of training, one that puts your body under constant pressure during the whole time the clothes are on," Hideaki explained. "As crazy as I think the tactic is, I actually do think it'll work."

Jiro lifted his face out from the sand, and spat out the salty white grains from his mouth. "I'm sure that's all fine and dandy, sis," he snarled sarcastically. "But what happens if the weights _kill _us first? Damn it, Goku, my neck's gonna break at this rate! These clothes have to weigh at least a ton!"

"They do not! Nine hundred pounds, maybe."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"Was that supposed to make us feel _better_?" Jiro yelled, trying and failing to lift his body from the ground. Goku cocked his head to the side in confusion.

"Why? Nine hundred pounds _is_ less than a ton, you know…"

"BAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

"This is going to be a long six weeks," Kikai muttered, as she watched the four from her perched position on the windowsill. Inside Kame house, Roshi and Kikai had been talking quietly to Baba, who had finally returned from Otherworld to give them the update on Goku's extended stay on Earth.

The verdict was favorable. Goku was allowed to remain with them until the end of the tournament.

Baba slowly sipped at her tea, and sighed. "This isn't good," she said quietly, lowering her cup back onto its saucer. "I didn't expect Sachiko's transformation to be flawed. This complicates things…"

"I thought you could see the future, you old bat," Roshi said condescendingly. "You're supposed to know what happens _before_ it happens! What's the matter? Did the spirits finally decide that communicating with an old has-been like yourself is a waste of their precious time? Eh-he-he…OOOOOOOOW!" The turtle hermit yelped in pain as Baba overturned the entire contents of her scalding hot teacup onto her younger brother's head.

"Now…where were we?" the fortuneteller asked casually, turning an unblinking eye towards Kikai.

"You crazy old loon!" Roshi bellowed, leaping back and forth erratically as he rubbed his red, blistered scalp in agony. "You trying to boil me alive, you witchdoctor?"

Baba's eye twitched slightly, but she continued to ignore the screaming Roshi. "You said that Sachiko's Super Saiyajin state doesn't last for more than a few seconds?"

"Yeah." The blonde woman glanced at the moaning Roshi for a moment with a raised brow, before her icy blue eyes rested on the old fortuneteller. "At this point, Sachiko's transformation only lasts for twenty seconds. It seems that if we get her upset, she can last for a little while longer. Not by much, though," Kikai added quickly, at seeing Baba's intrigued look. "Just a few seconds at a time."

"I see." Baba looked outside the window, and frowned as she caught sight of Sachiko struggling to walk across the beach with her new weighed training gi, with Goku encouraging her every step of the way. Said encouragement was slightly dampened when the small girl accidentally tripped over the still prone Jiro, and crashed into the stumbling Kargo, resulting in all three children collapsing into a large, tangled heap.

The old fortuneteller looked away. Such a sight was not welcoming when the future held such an ominous omen. "I suppose we'll have to leave it up to Goku, then," Baba murmured, closing her eyes. "At this rate, it will be impossible just to get Sachiko to retain her powers long enough to combat Tsu, let alone defeat him."

"Can't hurt to train the children, though," Roshi said quietly. "It'd be good to have a new generation of fighters on the ready, right? I mean, I'll admit that they _are_ rough around the edges." The turtle hermit winced as he heard a loud shriek from outside, as well as the sound of several bodies hitting the ground while another fight broke out. "Okay, they're very, _very_ rough around the edges. But I'll give them this much—those kids are quite determined and spirited, just as Goku was when he was younger. You can't ask for more than that, can you?"

Baba sighed. "I suppose not."

Silence fell upon the three. For a moment, no one said a word as the yells and argument outside subsided into quiet murmurs.

Then, the door to Kame's house opened, and Sachiko trudged inside, her little face strained with effort and concentration as she tried not to collapse on the floor due to the heavy weights.

"H-hi…everybody!" she greeted, forcing one heavy foot in front of the other as she inched her way through the house. "I'm just going to go upstairs…and pray to Lady Amaterasu for a bit…EEP!" Sachiko yelped when her knees buckled out from underneath her, only to have Kikai grab her and pull her upright. The small girl looked up with grateful eyes, and chirped, "Thank you, Kikai-san!"

Unfortunately, the blonde woman did not return the look. "Shouldn't you be training?" Kikai asked flatly. "You're going to need every last bit of strength you can get in order to beat Tsu."

"I need to pray, Kikai-san!" Sachiko insisted. "I need to pray to the gods so that they will lend me their strengths and blessings! We need those to fight Tsu! Grandfather used to say that the gods will always guide us to the right path, so we have to show our devotion to them before we are rewarded with their essence!"

"..."

"..."

"…you're a feudal child?" Roshi exclaimed, peering at Sachiko from over the top of his sunglasses. "Well, I'll be! That certainly explains a lot…say, do they still have those pretty mikos at the shrines and alters? 'Cause the last time I went to one of those places, I remember these bee-ooo-tee-full girls in white and red robes—"

"Enough with the sick fantasies, old man!" Kikai snapped, before she gave Sachiko a fierce stare. "Listen, kid…you can't just waste time praying for miracles. The only way we're going to secure victory is if we work for it. We're not going to win by asking the _gods _for help." _Not that I believe in those stupid feudal folktales anyway, _Kikai thought privately.

As if she could read the older woman's thoughts, Sachiko looked away, frowning slightly. "It—it can't hurt to ask them for help, right? Besides, it'll only take an hour. Please?" Sachiko gave Kikai her sweetest smile. A muscle twitched in the blonde woman's jaw, before she placed a hand on the small girl's head and gave Sachiko an indifferent look.

"Sorry to inform you, little one…but the cute act doesn't work on me."

"Aw…" Sachiko dropped her smile and pouted.

"However," Kikai went on, her eyes softening slightly, "I suppose twenty minutes of your little 'god' time, wouldn't hurt. But only twenty minutes, and not a second more. And you have to keep your weighed clothes on."

"Really?" Sachiko perked up, and gave Kikai a squeal of joy. "Thank you, Kikai-san! I promise that I'll keep it to twenty minutes, and that I won't take off the weights even for a second!" With that, the small girl laughed as she ran (or trudged, as she still couldn't move quickly) towards one of the bedrooms, and shut the door.

A loud thud soon echoed from the closed room, followed by off-key singing. Kikai sighed as she resumed her perched position at the windowsill, but Baba gave the blonde woman an intrigued stare.

"Woolgathering, Eighteen?"

"…shut up."

"Oh?"

"…that kid just reminds me of Marron, that's all. I wouldn't care about her otherwise."

"Whatever you say."

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

**Week two…**

"On your marks…get set…go!"

At the signal, the three children immediately sped towards one another and began to deliver a series of speedy kicks and punches towards whoever was closest. Sachiko, bending backwards to avoid a punch from Jiro, retaliated by grabbing his arm and swinging him at Kargo. The Namek leapt into the air, however, which resulted in Jiro crashing head first into the sand. Kargo took the opportunity to throw a flurry of ki attacks at Jiro, but the human teen rolled out of the way just before the attacks made contact.

This was all done while they were still wearing their heavy gi outfits. No longer were they struggling to stand upright, or straining their muscles with each step. The children had become accustomed to the weights long enough to move around casually, and slowly but surely, their techniques began to hone and sharpen.

While Goku focused on Sachiko, Kikai and Master Roshi had decided to put their efforts into training Jiro and Kargo respectively, and the progress of the two boys had increased significantly ever since. Jiro sparred with Kikai whenever he could, using his own anger as a weapon as she quietly taunted and criticized his style of fighting, constantly comparing him to the stubborn Vegeta.

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

"_Come on, brat," Kikai murmured emotionlessly, effortlessly blocking a punch from the exhausted Jiro. "You're tired already? You're just like Vegeta when I first met him…he was no match for me either. But then again, like ancestor, like descendant…right?"_

"_Don't you call me a descendant of that fucking ASSHOLE!" Jiro screamed, powering up with strength that he didn't know he possessed. He flew at her, surprising her as his punch finally connected with her face…_

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

Taunts such as those would send Jiro over the edge, not only because such slander connected him to Vegeta, whom he severely disliked, but because if they were true, then it would mean that he was related to Sachiko.

That was something he did NOT want. Besides…wouldn't Goku have greeted him with more gusto if he had actually been the man's descendant? No, Goku's coolness towards him confirmed to Jiro's mind that he and Goku were not related, therefore by proxy he and Vegeta were not related either.

However, there was the slight possibility that Goku simply didn't know about Jiro possibly being one of his descendants…but why open up a floodgate, anyway? No, better to keep his sanity and not complicate things further. Besides, just the mention of the possibility that they were related made Jiro's blood boil, and made him attack the first living being on sight.

While this always resulted in him getting his rear end handed to him in each and every fighting session, Jiro already felt as if he was becoming more powerful, both in body and mind. Of course, his dislike for the "Bionic Bitch" only heightened with each defeat, but what didn't kill him would certainly make him stronger.

Or so he hoped.

On the other hand, Kargo also sparred with Kikai, but to a lesser extent. The Namek spent a majority of his time with the turtle hermit, who taught the Namek more…controversial methods of fighting besides the traditional "hit-and-bleed" methods.

Kargo specifically asked Master Roshi for training on attacking pressure points. While Sachiko and Jiro focused on increasing brute strength and speed, Kargo wanted to work on accuracy, and the ability to sneakily disable an opponent during battle. Unlike the stubborn Jiro, Kargo knew that he wasn't going to gain enough power in six weeks to take down Tsu. So, he might as well fight dirty…in a legal way, of course.

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

"_The trick to getting your opponent," Roshi explained, "is to hit them in certain points that guarantees disability for the rest of the battle."_

"_Like how you__** cheated **__during our fight?" Kargo retorted heatedly. Even now, he was still sore over the pressure point movements that Roshi had used on him._

"_I didn't cheat, kid. You had your guard down, and I simply took advantage of it. You'd do well to learn how to do the same."_

"_Whatever."_

"_Now…let me show you a spot on the chest that is potentially fatal for a normal person if they're attacked there…"_

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

For Sachiko, her lessons with Goku were nothing short of exhausting. Every day for the past two weeks, she had had to start off their training session with ten Kamehamehas, a hundred pushups, and another ten Kamehamehas. By the time she was finished with the "warm-up" exercises, she was almost too tired to actually fight her ancestor.

While Goku was certainly lax and laid back during peaceful periods, he was anything_ but_ lax and laid back when he was training. Sachiko struggled just to keep up with him during their spars, something that was made even harder due to her flawed transformation.

And unfortunately, Sachiko had discovered yet another problem with her Super Saiyajin state. Although the period in which she could stay transformed was increasing second by second, by the time she reached her limit (which she now defined as the moment _just_ before she went into excruciating pain), she would power down and collapse onto the ground in absolute exhaustion, too tired to move and vulnerable to any and all attacks.

But she kept trying. She always tried her hardest in all of her training sessions. She never gave up—at least not intentionally.

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

_In her transformed state, Sachiko dodged the barrage of ki attacks that Goku sent towards her, taking to the skies as she did her best to stay transformed without feeling that horrid sense of pain again. At the last moment, she felt the familiar stabbing sensation in her head, and she bent over in agony, forgetting the fight for a brief second. _

_Unfortunately, all Goku needed was a second, and he quickly took the opportunity to throw a particularly powerful blast in her direction. Realizing the danger far too late, Sachiko crossed her arms and tried to defend herself, but the attack collided with her bare skin, making the small girl wince as the hot energy ate away at her forearms._

_They had only been fighting for a little while, and less than a few seconds had passed since she had transformed, but still…she just was so tired…_

_Without realizing it, she began to sink back towards the ground._

_Goku suddenly swarmed over her, and before Sachiko could figure out what had happened, the older Saiyajin delivered a brutal kick to the head, and that was all she remembered before everything went black…_

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

Despite obvious setbacks, progress was still progress. Jiro and Kargo were improving, and although Sachiko was absolutely exhausted and unable to even move after each transformation, her ability to become Super Saiyajin now lasted over two minutes. In their weighted gi, Sachiko, Kargo, and Jiro were now able to fight as they normally did before the weights were on.

However…

_Thud. Thud. Thud._

…despite all their progress, they still weren't able to fight for an extended period of time. After a while, the weights finally took their toll on the young bodies, and the three would drop like a sack of bricks straight to the floor, no matter where they were.

"Ow! Rich boy, get your ass out of my face! It STINKS!"

"Well, you don't exactly smell like a basket of roses either, freak!"

"You guys are crushing me…"

"Guys! That's enough!" Goku dove into the tangle and pulled the three youths apart, holding Jiro and Kargo far away from one another while Sachiko staggered drunkenly to her feet. "Geez, what'd the matter with you two?" Goku asked, staring at Kargo and Jiro worriedly. "You guys can't even go ten minutes without fighting! What're you two so angry about, anyway?"

"He started it!" Jiro and Kargo yelled simultaneously, pointing at one another with shaking fingers. "He's the one who's the asshole, not me!"

Goku sighed and looked imploringly at Sachiko for help, but the small girl merely shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know why they fight all the time," she replied. "They said that they sometimes have _weirdness feelings_, but I don't know what that means."

"Weirdness feelings?" Goku blinked. "I've never heard of that before."

"Me neither. Is it a boy thing?"

"I dunno. I've never had it before…when do they get these weirdness feelings?"

"Well, usually when they're around me. But Hideaki and Kikai think that—"

"Can we please go back to training!" Jiro snapped angrily, his face suddenly flushed a deep, dark red. Crossing his arms, he glared at Goku and hissed, "Forget about the weirdness crap, okay guys? Let's just focus on training. I'd like to be able to kick some major ass before we get to the tournament, thank you very much!"

"Oh." Goku scratched the back of his head, before he grinned good-naturedly at Jiro. "Well, kiddo, you have a choice! You wanna have a go with me and Sachi, or do you wanna hang out with Eighteen and Master Roshi?"

"A choice between you, the Bionic Bitch, and the Wrinkled Old Perverted Hermit. The same three choices I've had since this training hell began. Gee, I'm practically jumping for joy."

"But Jiro," Sachiko said in confusion. "You're not jumping. You don't look joyful right now, and you don't sound even a tiny bit happy." She poked the side of his face, which earned her a twitching motion from the older boy.

"Yeah," Goku agreed, poking the other side of Jiro's face. A large vein began to throb on the boy's forehead, but neither Sachiko nor Goku were aware of it. "Look at you! You look even crankier than Vegeta, if that's even possible. I mean, have you SEEN the guy on one of his bad days? It's like trying to get Cell to sing the song, _BINGO_!"

"I love that song!" Sachiko squealed, her finger stopping mid-poke. "I used to sing it every day after prayers!"

"Really?" Goku pushed Jiro aside, and grinned goofily at Sachiko. "I used to sing that every morning in the shower! I always sing it really loudly until Chi-Chi yells at me to be quiet!"

"OOOOOH! Let's sing it now, Goku-san! There was a farmer had a dog, and Bingo was his name-O!"

"B-I-N-G-O!"

"B-I-N-G-O!"

"B-I-N-G-O!"

"And Bingo was his name-O!" they finished, clasping each other's hands and laughing as Kargo and Jiro stared at them in complete and utter disbelief.

"..."

"..."

"Freak?"

"What?"

"Tsu's going to beat the holy shit out of us at this rate, isn't he?"

"…pretty much."

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

**Week four…**

"Come and get it, Sachi!" Goku grinned, his hair spiked and golden as his green eyes gleamed with mischief.

"HAAAAAAAAH!" Sachiko immediately and painlessly transformed into her Super Saiyajin state and flew towards her ancestor at full speed. Goku dodged and swung around, shooting a ki blast at the small girl's back. Sachiko threw herself to the ground to avoid the blast, only to catch herself as she swung her leg around to knock Goku off his feet with a low sweeping kick.

The older Saiyajin jumped over her attack and flipped backwards, but Sachiko quickly moved through an opening and aimed a punch at Goku's chest. Goku grabbed her small fist just before it made contact with his body, and he gave her a smirk when her other hand grabbed his spare wrist. (Or_ tried _to grab, since her hands were so much _tinier_ compared to his…)

"Nice going, Sachi!" Goku commented, a compliment that made Sachiko grin.

"YAY! I finally tied with you, Goku-san!"

"Well…" Goku's smirk widened. "I wouldn't say _that_ just yet."

"Huh?" Sachiko cocked her head at her ancestor, her green irises blinking at Goku in confusion. "Why not?"

"Because of this."

Goku suddenly began to power up, blinding Sachiko as a bright, yellow glow began to surround his body. The entire island seemed to light up, and Sachiko had to cover her eyes as Goku suddenly screamed, releasing a large wave of power that knocked her flat on her back. The glow slowly faded, and Sachiko lowered her hands…only to gasp in shock at the sight before her.

Her ancestor's hair had become even spikier that before (if that was even possible), and ki seemed to be flying off of him in little electrical currents. She felt an enormous increase in his energy level, and she knew, without a doubt, that she couldn't beat him.

It didn't matter at this point, anyway. She was already starting to feel the beginnings of the strain around her head, neck, and chest.

Powering down to her normal form, Sachiko crossed her arms and frowned as Goku merely laughed at her predicament. "That's not fair, Goku-san!" she protested. "You know I can't go to the higher levels yet! You're cheating!"

"I'm not cheating," Goku replied innocently. "Besides, I thought this would be inspirational to you! You know, boost you to level 2!"

"..." Sachiko gave Goku a deadened look. "You—you're just trying to make me feel worse, aren't you Goku-san! I can't transform right, so now you're making fun of me! YOU'RE MEAN, you cheater!"

"ACK! Sachi, that wasn't my intention at all!" His grin now wiped clean from his face, Goku tried to pacify his descendant, but Sachiko turned away and continued to rant.

"Cheater, cheater, pumpkin eater! I remember Neko Majin from Otherworld, and he said that you tricked him with a cat toy once just to win a battle!"

Goku suddenly coughed nervously, and scratched the back of his head. "N-now Sachi-chan, the circumstances of that fight was completely different from ours."

Sachiko stuck her tongue out at her ancestor, and turned her back to him. "Goku-san, I don't want to hear excuses! You're just a cheater poopie pants!"

"But Sachi…"

"Cheater cheater poopie pants!"

"Oh man…" Goku pouted, before a light bulb went off in his head. Quietly, he powered down and snuck up behind the small girl. Then, before she knew it, Goku quickly engulfed her tiny body with a large, powerful embrace, laughing when she shrieked and tried to wiggle out of his grasp.

"Eeeeek! Goku-san, let go! I'm still not happy with you!"

"Aw, come on, Sachi! I was just kidding about the level 2 thing! You do that when you're good and ready, okay?" Goku squeezed Sachiko tighter, and a small giggle escaped from her lips unnoticed. "Ah! Was that a laugh I heard, Sachi-chan?"

"..."

"Sachi?"

Sachiko sighed quietly, and looked up at her ancestor with saddened eyes. "Oh..it's not fair! I can't beat that mean old Tsu if I can only transform for four minutes! And there's only two weeks left…am I disappointing you?"

"What? Of course not! Sachi-chan, you're worrying too much! Besides, I'm entering the tournament too, remember? We can beat that Tsu easy, and then we'll make him tell us everything he knows."

"I guess so…"

Just then, Jiro and Kikai flew past them, blue ki erupting around Jiro's body in angry flames as Kikai smirked at him from a distance. "YOU CYBERNETIC WHORE!" Jiro screamed, throwing punch after punch at the blonde woman. "I TOLD YOU NEVER TO MENTION THAT DISGUSTING FACT ABOUT ME AND SACHIKO AGAIN!"

"You've got anger and denial issues, don't you, you little Vegeta clone?" Kikai asked tauntingly. Jiro shrieked with rage in retaliation, and tackled her so quickly that they both landed with a huge _splash _in the ocean below.

For a moment, Goku and Sachiko speechlessly stared down at the scene below them.

"..."

"..."

"…Sachiko?"

"Yes, Goku-san?"

"That friend of yours is really weird."

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

"But Goku-san said—"

"Goku's an idiot. Either that or he's a very good liar. My vote is for the former."

"JIRO! Don't say that! Goku-san said that we all have a chance of beating Tsu!"

"He's just pulling your fucking leg, you stupid girl!"

Sachiko turned away from Jiro, feelings of hurt and anger escalating inside as she tried to remain calm. Because it was now late at night, she, Jiro, and Kargo were all in the attic, which was designated as their room until the end of the Tenkaichi Budokai. "What do you mean, Jiro? Goku-san said—"

"Goku's a _retard_," Jiro snapped, crossing his arms as he took a seat at the edge of the mattress that served as his bed. "He's acting cocky because he thinks he's going to win."

"All the adults think that Goku's going to win," Kargo agreed, stabbing a practice dummy in the chest with two fingers. "They're just training us as a backup plan if Goku somehow screws up. But hey.. the Namek boy gave Sachiko a playful grin. "We might as well learn from the training they're willing to give us, right?"

"Don't say things like that!" Sachiko cried. "You make it sound like we're useless!"

Jiro snorted. "Sachiko, who do you think we're kidding? We can't beat Tsu or Rei! We got our asses kicked the last time."

"But—"

"Besides, you can't even transform that long. I don't know what went wrong, but you're going to be in serious trouble if you think that you've got a chance against Tsu. Face it—the adults downstairs don't trust us. The only one who thinks we might have a shot is my sister, and even_ she's _betting on Goku."

"..."

Jiro looked up at Sachiko's silence, and was taken aback at the look of utmost sadness he found on the small girl's face. "What, now you're gonna cry?" he exclaimed. "I'm just telling you the truth, kid! I'm telling it like it is!"

"..."

"Don't think I don't know what your silence means by now!"

"…I'm going downstairs for a snack." With that, Sachiko slowly trudged out of the attic, away from the frustrated Jiro. When she left, Kargo turned to the human teen and gave him a resounding smack across the back of the head.

"OW!" Jiro looked up at Kargo with a murderous look in his eyes. "You green bitch! What the fuck was that for?"

"For being a goddamn idiot," Kargo snapped back. "Damn it, can't you watch what you say to her for ONCE in your life? She's very sensitive to these types of conversations!"

Jiro snorted, and gave the Namek boy a fierce punch in the gut, one that made Kargo bend over gasping in pain. "I'm not going to baby her for the rest of her life," Jiro snarled, as he shoved the injured Kargo away from him. "Sachiko needs a good dose of reality now and then! I don't want her to end up like Goku!"

Kargo growled, and looked up at Jiro from his bent position. "And I don't want her to cry and become depressed!" The Namek suddenly straightened his body out and, before Jiro knew what happened, Kargo grabbed Jiro's arm, twisted it, and poked the limb in two places.

Poke, poke.

The Namek boy waited. Nothing happened.

"Freak, what the hell are you doing?" Jiro demanded, pulling his arm back with a huff. "Don't go around hijacking my limbs, you faggot! I'm not a test doll for your stupid poking techniques! Besides…you suck at it." Here, Jiro let out a mocking, condescending laugh at Kargo's increasingly furious look. "You couldn't disable that old pervert in training, you couldn't disable Sachiko even when she offered you her arm, and you certainly can't disable me, even when my guard is down! Face it…you can't do it. You're a failure."

"Oh, shut up!" Kargo yelled, before his fingers struck at a place at Jiro's neck.

Again, it seemed as if nothing happened. Jiro flashed a smug look at Kargo…until suddenly, his blue eyes widened. Jiro suddenly fell over, all four of his limbs limp and flimsy like that of a rag doll's, and the boy struggled to lift his head, his eyes large with shock.

"FREAK! What the hell did you do to me?"

Kargo, who had not at all expected the attack to work, gave Jiro a small, quiet laugh of disbelief. "Oh my god. I can't believe this…I get the complex moves right, but not the simple ones? I must have a learning complex…"

"FREAK! GET MY LIMBS WORKING AGAIN! _NOW!_"

"Actually, I sort of like you like this…"

"YOU SON-OF-A—" Using an unknown strength that could only be powered by sheer hatred, Jiro lunged at Kargo, using his limp and useless body as a weapon. Unfortunately, Kargo quickly moved out of the way, sending Jiro sailing right past him…and straight into the unsuspecting Sachiko, who had been carrying an entire platter of chocolate cream cake. "OH NO!"

"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEK!"

_Splat. _

"..."

"..."

"..."

"…just to let you know, Sachiko, this is all the freak's fault. So if you're going to be mad, be mad at him."

"Shut up, rich boy!"

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

**Week six…**

_Thud. Thud. Thud._

With the near full moon shining high above their heads, Sachiko, Kargo, and Jiro collapsed altogether on the beach, the small girl in the middle while Kargo and Jiro laid at both of her sides. All three of them had just fought each other in an intense and exhausting workout, and now they were completely dirty and sweaty, with their weighted training clothes torn and tattered.

There were only three nights left before the tournament, and each of their minds were heavy with thoughts and unanswered questions.

"What happens if we lose?"

Both Jiro and Kargo turned their gazes towards Sachiko, who was staring at the starry night sky. "What'cha talking about, Sachi-chan?" Kargo asked quietly. The fatigue was evident in his voice, and at this point, he no longer tried to hide it.

"What happens if we lose?" Sachiko repeated, her voice soft and low. "What happens if we don't beat Tsu? Will we die?"

"What the hell?" Jiro propped his elbow against the sandy ground, and rested his chin in the palm of his hand. "What's gotten into you, Sachiko? You're acting so pessimistic."

"What's pess-see-misty-ick mean?"

"You're acting all depressed and junk."

"Oh." Sachiko fell silent, before she shut her eyes. "I don't know. I know you guys said that if Goku-san enters, he'll win…but what if something happens to him? What if Tsu tries to kidnap him or hurt him before the tournament so that he can't fight? Goku-san told me that if he dies _again_, then he'll disappear forever! I don't want him to disappear forever! What if—mmph!" Sachiko yelped as both boys covered her mouth with their hands.

"Don't think that way, Sachi-chan!" Kargo exclaimed, shifting his body so that he was close enough to give her a comforting hug. "Come on…it's not as if Goku's going to fight by himself. We'll be there, and Kikai's entering the tourney too, remember? She and Hideaki left the island because they wanted to get us some supplies for the big day."

Sachiko frowned. "Kikai's not strong enough to beat Tsu. And I can barely transform for more than five minutes! You guys said it yourselves that Goku's the best shot we had at winning!"

Kargo and Jiro exchanged nervous looks. "Well, _yeah_," Kargo said uneasily. "But that doesn't mean we've got NO chance at all if Goku fucks up. I mean, if we all ambush Tsu at the same time without Rei around, we can still kick the crap out of him."

"But I'm afraid." Sachiko opened her eyes, and Kargo and Jiro could see that they were filled with tears. "I'm afraid that we're going to lose, and that Tsu's going to kill all of us. I don't—I don't want you guys to die…"

The last sentence was stated in such a small voice that the two boys almost missed it. Kargo felt Sachiko's body tremble in his arms, and heard the ragged breaths that were emerging from the back of her throat.

She was remembering, he realized. She was remembering the day Tsu had tortured them, the way Rei had beaten Jiro to an inch of his life, the way Tsu had—had—

Hell, even Kargo didn't want to think about that. If anything, the experience had only intensified his fear of lightning and thunder.

"You're such a baby," Jiro suddenly declared. "Sachiko, you're a big fucking baby."

Sachiko made a sound that sounded like a cry of despair, but it quickly changed into a gasp when Jiro reached over wrapped his arms around her waist as Kargo did. The Namek growled in displeasure at this act, but the human teen ignored him as he buried his head against the crook of Sachiko's neck. Kargo growled louder, but Jiro didn't budge.

Normally, Kargo would have beaten up the other boy for even _thinking_ about doing such a thing, but damn it, he was just so tired. _Bah! I'll kill him in the morning. Besides, Sachiko's watching, and I don't want her to witness me murdering Jiro._

Meanwhile, Sachiko turned her head towards Jiro, and gave him a curious look. Jiro never willingly hugged her under normal circumstances. Was he sick, or just really tired? Still, she liked getting hugged, so she didn't question him about it. "Jiro," she said instead, "I'm not a baby. I really don't want you guys to die."

"Don't you know anything?" Jiro muttered, sighing against her skin. "In the Tenkaichi Budokai, fighters are not allowed to kill their opponents."

"R-really?"

"Duh. My dad once entered the Tenkaichi Budokai when he was around my age. He almost won, too…but then he was pit against some feudal village guy in the final match, and got his ass kicked."

"Oh…" Sachiko gave Jiro an understanding nod of the head.

"You know," Kargo interrupted, his arms tightening around Sachiko's waist, "Sachiko's grandfather entered the Tenkaichi Budokai when he was a young man."

Jiro snorted. "You don't say?"

"Oh, yeah!" Sachiko suddenly grinned, her eyes lighting up in excitement. "Okaasan told me that, once! She was really little when Grandfather entered the tournament! She said that he only entered to prove to the cities that feudal people were just as powerful as the city people!"

"She also said," Kargo added with a secret grin, "that Goushi _won _the tournament after beating some teenage punk from the cities."

"Wow!" Sachiko exclaimed, completely unaware of the look of shock that suddenly flashed through Jiro's features. "That's an amazing coincidence, don't you think, Jiro? My Grandfather won by beating a city boy, and your daddy lost to a feudal village man! Hahahaha! Imagine if they actually fought against one another in the tournament! Hahahaha!"

Jiro didn't answer. Instead, a very sullen look came across his face, and he simply responded by growling and burrowing his head deeper into Sachiko's neck.

For a long while, the three children remained that way, locked in their strange embrace as they lay under the starry skies, knowing that they only had a fixed number of hours to cherish moments such as these. A slight chill was beginning to seep into their bodies, but the children merely huddled closer together, not wanting to break apart just yet.

Besides, the adults would tell them when to come back inside, wouldn't they?

And then, Sachiko began to sing.

"_S__pirits of purification __created for order and the Mother…that they inhabit the Sky,__ exactly as when__ the god Izanagi no Mikoto __bathed in the narrow estuary__ of a covered river with trees…"_

It wasn't like the times she sang during prayers, not in a loud, almost dismal voice that was full of energy and yet made the other inhabitants of the house want to rip their ears out. No, this was in a soft, almost inaudible whisper, and while it was off-key, Kargo and Jiro found the singing to be soothing. But Kargo openly expressed his liking of the song—Jiro was pretending not to care.

"_With all respect from the depths of out hearts…please hear us, hear our intent…together with Spirits of the Sky, Sea, and Land…take the badness, disasters and sins, and purify all…bless us. Protect us."_

Sachiko's voice became even softer and lower, and the boys felt their eyes slowly close.

"_Bless us…protect us…"_

Soon, all three were fast asleep.

* * *

**Sachiko: Next time, the day of the tournament finally arrives! And look who's on board! Mr. Squirrelly-Squirrel! I thought we lost you back at the base! Oh, right. It's time to sign up, and begin the preliminary rounds! But keep a lookout for that meanie meanie poop pants, Tsu! Kargo, Jiro, and all of you…here's hoping we get to the top!**

**(Inside "Wind Down" studio)**

**TURMOIL: Alright…question 151. What do you guys do for stress relief? I personally play video games. Or smash something. Whatever's quicker. Eighteen, what about you?**

**Eighteen: (tries to hang herself with her own necktie)**

**TURMOIL: EIGHTEEN!**

**Eighteen: Just leave me ALONE! I don't want to be here anymore! **

**TURMOIL: Goddamn it, give a straight answer, woman! DBZ men aren't exactly tolerant of indecisive women! Well, besides Krillin. And no, you can't automatically have him again!**

**Eighteen: Damn it, it depends on what there is to do! You know what? Screw you! I might forget this and just go shopping if you're gonna be so adamant for a damn response!**

**Hideaki: (still nervous)…um, can I answer now?**

**TURMOIL: (still furious at Eighteen) YES! (calms down) I-I mean, yes. Ahem. Yes, go ahead and answer now…**

**Hideaki: I-I'd curl up with a nice, good book.**

**TURMOIL: Good! A bit nerdy for my tastes, but I'm sure that'll appeal to the Gohan-ish boys in the audience.**

**Random Nerdy Audience Member #0101001: Hideaki, you're HOT, just like Bulma!**

**Hideaki: …**

**TURMOIL: See? You've got nothing to worry about. And what about you, Sachi-chan?**

**Sachiko: Um…what was the question again?**

**Entire audience: (facefaults) WAAAAH!**

**TURMOIL: (vein throbbing) STRESS! WHAT WOULD YOU DO TO RELIEVE STRESS!**

**Sachiko: Stress? What's stress?**

**Eighteen: …**

**TURMOIL: YOU JUST UNDERWENT A MOUNTAINLOAD OF STRESS IN THIS CHAPTER ALONE! HOW COULD YOU NOT KNOW WHAT STRESS IS! (gasps, and collapses in chair) …I think I just gave myself a heart attack…**

**Hideaki: WELL! Seeing that this quiz is going to take more than one chapter…and because the author is going to end up in the hospital if we keep this up for much longer…let's end things here for the day, folks! Read and review!**

**(Outside "Wind Down" studio)**

**Jiro: HEY! Can we come in, already! The story's almost over, you assholes!**

**Kargo: (sitting cross-legged on the concrete with a can of soda in hand) Rich boy, the story's been over for at least five minutes…**


	48. Registration at Island 2

Sachiko: TURMOIL-san does not own anything related to the Dragonball world. If she did, she wouldn't be studying for exams all the time…and that's why she's so tired lately.

TURMOIL: (Looks up with drooping, red-rimmed eyes) Tired? I'm not tired.

Hideaki: Oh, don't lie! Look at you! You look terribly exhausted!

Sachiko: (Grins) And you have those big black bags under your eyes!

Eighteen: And don't forget that look of absolute evilness on your face.

Sachiko: Huh? What does that have to do with TURMOIL-san being tired?

Eighteen: Nothing, actually. I just wanted to point that out.

TURMOIL: (Twitches) You know, the purpose of me writing this story is to calm down and relax. You're sorta ruining that moment, Eighteen.

Eighteen: Then _stop_ making me come to these things.

TURMOIL: Aw, but I was gonna announce the results of the compatibility quiz today! (Holds up sheet of results) Don't you wanna see who you got?

Eighteen: (Flatly) No.

Hideaki: Aw, come on, Eighteen! I wanna see who I got!

Sachiko: Me too! Even though I have no idea what that test is about…what does compatibility mean, anyway? Is it some sort of food?

Eighteen: …

Hideaki: …

TURMOIL: Oh, just you wait and see, Sachiko-chan. You should see who Hideaki got as a compatible mate…AND EIGHTEEN! Mwahahaha… (Grins evilly)

Eighteen: …she's grinning.

Hideaki: (pales) W-why is she grinning? Aren't we supposed to be safe in the "Start-Up" studio!

TURMOIL: Physically, yes for the most part. Emotionally…well, that's a whole new ball game. BUT! I'll announce the results of your compatibility quizzes…

Sachiko: YAY!

TURMOIL: …right after the end of the chapter

Sachiko: (pouts) Aw…

(Outside "Start-Up" studio)

Jiro: Oh, come on! Let us in! This is the second time you've kicked us out!

Kargo: Can we come in? PLEASE! It's raining out here!

_**Chapter Forty-Eight: Registration at Island 2**_

"I can't believe you guys are actually wearing those clothes to the tournament," Hideaki said uneasily, staring at Kikai's white, businesswoman-like outfit as she flew the plane containing the entire crew towards the island that was hosting the tournament. "Won't the clothes get damaged during the fights? They look really delicate…"

"Don't worry yourself," the blonde woman replied tonelessly. She was seated next to a bouncy, overeager Sachiko, and occasionally had to remove the small girl from her lap as the child tried to peek out of the passenger's side window. "I can handle myself in a fight no matter what I'm wearing. Besides, these clothes are just for show during registration. Nothing gets the attention of psychopathic stalkers like Tsu more than a flashy entrance…"

"But why do _we _have to dress up?" Goku whined from the back of the plane. "This three-piece suit is really itchy and uncomfortable! I wanna wear my old clothes!"

"It's only for one day."

"Oh, come on Eighteen!"

Kikai growled, and gave Goku a deadly glare. "Listen, you buffoon. I might be entering this stupid tournament for you guys, but I have to do it while keeping my public image in one piece. You forget that I have a reputation to uphold as Kikai Ichihatsu, and if I or any of my associates look anything less than immaculate, it would mean a field day for the tabloids and all types of social suicide for me."

Sachiko laughed out loud as she gave Kikai a large, silly grin. "I think that you're just worrying too much about your looks, Kikai-san!" the small girl chirped, straightening out the white cotton dress and matching white sunhat that had been personally brought for her by Hideaki and Kikai. "You always look pretty-ful no matter what you wear!"

Kikai snorted, although her eyes softened slightly at the remark.

"Pretty-ful, eh?" Jiro rolled his eyes in disbelief. He was dressed in a black suit and tie, and was seated on Sachiko's other side. This was an arrangement that Kargo tried to heavily protest, but the Namek dropped it after one stern warning from Goku. "Don't be so easily impressed, Sachiko. I've seen girls who were a million times prettier than Eighteen here. She's nothing compared to _them_."

"Why do you call her by that number?" Sachiko protested, crossing her arms as her bottom lip jutted out in a small pout. "Her name's Kikai!"

Jiro snorted. "Not for me! She's nothing more than a talking tin can in my books, someone who's not even worthy enough to be featured on crack whore magazines."

"Keep talking, brat," Kikai murmured in a low, dangerous voice. "Keep talking, and see where this stiletto heel of mine is going to end up in two seconds…"

"What's a crack whore?" Sachiko asked curiously.

Both Jiro and Kikai sweatdropped, unsure of how to answer her.

"Don't pay any attention to the stupid one, Sachi-chan," Kargo said loudly. He was dressed in a dark gray suit identical to Jiro's, and was seated directly across Sachiko, right next to Goku. "His itty-bitty brain was probably filled with bigotry and smut since the day he was born. Very chauvinistic and ignorant, if you ask me." Kargo paused, before a mischievous smirk spread through his facial features. "He probably gets that from one of two particular _ancestors _of his…"

"Drop it, freak," Jiro snarled, his blue eyes narrowing dangerously at the Namek boy.

"What'cha talking about, Kargo?" Goku asked curiously, while Sachiko cocked her head to the side in interest.

"NOTHING!" Jiro yelled, his tone completely panicked. "HE'S NOT TALKING ABOUT ANYTHING! THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NO ANCESTOR-SLASH-DESCENDANT CONNECTION BETWEEN ME AND THAT STUPID VEGETA!"

Silence.

Then, a chuckle. "I never mentioned anything about Vegeta," Kargo said sweetly, while Jiro suddenly looked as though he'd been shot. While Kikai and Hideaki sighed and shook their heads at the boy's stubborn denial, Sachiko and Goku exchanged looks of confusion—they had absolutely no idea of what the boys were talking about.

The tension quickly lifted when a group of islands became visible over the horizon.

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

The official tournament ground for the Tenkaichi Budokai was Sentou Islands.

No one debated about the name. Hell, no one _could _debate about the name, even if they wanted to. There were four islands that made up the bulk of the populated area, and the word sentou literally meant "fight." And in a Tenkaichi Budokai, all anyone ever did was _fight_.

The once barren islands had been chosen two hundred years ago to be the permanent grounds for the worldwide martial arts tournament, where a set system of rules and regulations had been posted after complaints and dissatisfaction with the old system had resulted in a decrease in popularity for the once-in-four-years event. In the beginning, the only signs of life in Sentou Islands had been the single arena on Island 1, and the other islands had been barely touched. This changed when more and more participants entered the tournament, and now the other islands were used as resting places, registration areas, and grounds to hold the larger and more disorganized preliminaries.

While more civilized and regulated than the infamous Shigaisen Brawl-Out, the Tenkaichi Budokai had nevertheless gained a rather odd reputation over the years, especially considering how preliminary matches were conducted. In the ancient past, people used to punch a machine to determine their physical strength. The higher the number, the greater one's strength was, and those with the highest recorded numbers usually got into the official matches.

But soon, people realized that not everything was about brute force. Those with speed, wit, or cunning had the chance to outmaneuver those who relied on their physicality only, and it was obvious to the new generations that strength alone did not necessarily equal a champion.

If anything, it could have led to having an idiotic victor for an unprecedented amount of years, one who had a horrible hairdo and a ridiculously large ego.

So, they went back to an even older form of practice, one that was mentioned only in footnotes of history books. On Islands 3 and 4, several hundred fighters pitted themselves against one another in brutal preliminary matches, where they fought one another with all of their might until there were only eight remaining. Those eight would then proceed to the official arena on the first and largest island, where the true challenge would then begin, with only the greatest and worthiest of martial artists standing in the spotlight.

And in the end, only one would remain standing.

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

"_Fighters from around the world! Welcome to Sentou Islands, the host of the 175__th__ Tenkaichi Budokai! Please register in one of the officially marked registration booths on Island 2, and receive your hotel room numbers and the time you need to show up for the preliminaries…"_

"Oh, wow!" Sachiko exclaimed, her eyes sparkling at the sights before her. "Look at all of these humongous buildings, Goku-san! They're even bigger than the ones in the city!"

Goku nodded, looking around the island metropolis in awe. "I know! And there are so many more people here too…OOOH! FOOD!" The large Saiyajin burrowed his way through the crowds towards a nearby food vendor, where the man selling the food nearly had a heart attack when Goku asked for a hundred hamburgers for himself, another hundred for Sachiko, and two dozen snow cones…for the road.

Luckily for the food vendor, Kikai immediately came over and grabbed Goku by the collar of his suit, snatching Sachiko's hand at the same time as she dragged the two of them towards one of the two hundred registration booths stationed all over the second island.

It wasn't nicknamed the "Registration Island" for nothing, after all.

"No!"

"Give it to me, you jerk!"

"NO!"

"Oh, just give him the damn pen, Jiro!" Hideaki moaned, covering her eyes in embarrassment. Jiro had just finished signing up for the tournament and Kargo was just about to sign in himself when the human teen suddenly freaked out and clutched at the writing instrument as if his life depended on it.

"No way!" Jiro shook his head wildly. "No way! I didn't think he was _actually _going to fight in the Budokai with those fake ass paralyzing moves of his! What if he gets paired up with me or Sachiko for a match? He could try to maim me for life…or try to take advantage of me when I'm in a vulnerable state and do something so mind numbingly evil that I can't even _describe _it right now!"

"…"

"…"

Hideaki took a deep breath and rubbed her temples. "Jiro-kun," she said slowly, "the inner mechanisms of your mind are somewhat frightening to me."

"You're sick, you twisted asshole," Kargo snapped, glowering at Jiro in intense dislike. "Just because _you'd _try to maim me or do something evil to me, that doesn't mean I will! It's tempting, I'll admit that much, but I won't ever stoop that low!"

"Oh, shut up!" Jiro yelled, nearly crushing the pen in his hand. "You think I don't know how your sick little freak mind works? You're just as perverted and fucked up as an alien can get! Always touching and hugging Sachiko at every opportunity!"

"So what? You got a problem with that?"

Throughout the argument, Sachiko had been listening on in confusion. "What are they talking about?" she asked Goku and Kikai. The larger Saiyajin merely shrugged, looking just as clueless as she did, while the blonde woman groaned and hung her head.

"Screw off, rich boy! You know what? I hope that we _do_ get paired up to fight! That way I can kick your damn ass once and for all!"

"Oh yeah? Bring it on, freak! BRING IT ON!"

"I _really _want to know what they're talking about," Sachiko said nervously, sweatdropping as she, Goku, and Kikai watched all this unfold right in front of their eyes.

"Me too," Goku agreed, cautiously waiting on the sidelines in case he had to step in and separate the boys (which looked as if it would be any second now). "Seriously, what's wrong with hugging somebody? I hugged Chi-Chi, Gohan, and Goten all the time back in the day…"

Kikai rolled her eyes. "Idiots…"

"You know, Jiro-kun," Hideaki said loudly, as she struggled to keep the two boys at bay, "a real man wouldn't be afraid to confront his rival head-to-head. A real man would take a challenge in a heartbeat, no questions asked."

Jiro stared at his older sister incredulously while Kargo suddenly smirked. "Whose side are you on, sis?"

"I'm on _our _side, you nincompoop! We need _all _of you in the tournament as backup in case Goku can't beat Tsu, so let the green one sign his damn name already!"

"…"

"…"

"...FINE! Take it!" Jiro threw the pen at Kargo and stomped off, muttering angry curses under his breath while the Namekian stuck his tongue out at the retreating boy's back. Hideaki sighed pitifully, before she ran after her brother and tried to talk him down.

"Honestly, Jiro…don't be so sore! It's not as if he can do anything bad to you anyway! You know the rules better than anyone—if a fighter tries to use underhanded tactics, he's immediately disqualified!"

"You don't know that freak like I do, sis! He's an evil, tricky bastard!"

"Takes one to know one, right?" Kargo shouted sarcastically at Jiro. The human teen whirled around, scowling, but he refrained himself from saying anything derogatory when he realized that many of the other arriving fighters were giving him strange looks.

Correction. _All _of the arriving fighters were giving him strange looks, and Kikai looked absolutely murderous on her part.

So much for reputation.

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

"Hello there! I would like to sign up my comrades here for the preliminaries, please!"

"Uh…huh." The attendant of the registration booth blinked at the strange man in front of her. While wearing a rather expensive looking business suit, the man's head was almost completely covered with a brown scarf, save two small slits for his eyes and mouth. The man was also grinning at her rather widely, showing off all of his pearly white teeth and pink, raw gums.

_Ew._

"Sign in here, please." The attendant handed the masked man a pen and pushed the registration list towards him. While the man eagerly scribbled down the names of all of the participants from his end, the attendant peered over the man's shoulder out of sheer curiosity to see who his so-called comrades were.

There was a tall, muscular looking man covered in green body paint, one who was wearing a black and white gi and had elfish ears as well as antenna sticking out from his forehead. Most likely props, though she had to admit…it made the guy looked attractive, to say the least. Maybe it was the green. Yeah, that had to be it.

The other guy was another story. He was of average height, had a lean look to him, and was wearing a long brown cloak, one that covered his entire body. The attendant frowned. God, she hated the mysterious contestants. All that hype and for what? They were usually the ones that got knocked off first.

Fakes, the lot of them…

The masked man had stopped writing, and appeared to be looking at the names of people who had already signed up. Well, the attendant couldn't really tell if the man was actually _looking _or not, as his mask covered his eyes despite the slit in the brown material, but his index finger was on the list, and was moving upwards…

She blinked in confusion. What on earth was he doing? Surely the man wasn't looking for anyone specific, was he? If so, then he was insane—there were two hundred registration booths on Island 2, and chances were that whoever he was looking for, he or she had signed up somewhere else…

And then, the man smiled when his finger stopped at a particularly childish looking scribble. "So the little Dove has entered after all," he muttered, his teeth bared in a wicked smile. His finger rose higher. "And Goku's here too? Well, this _will_ be interesting, to say the least…"

And here, the attendant coughed. "Um, excuse me sir…?"

"Hmm?" The masked man lifted his head towards her. "Yes, my dear?"

"Are—are you finished yet? There's kind of a line forming behind you…"

The masked man looked back, and sweatdropped when he saw the huge line that had formed behind him, consisting of many yet-to-be-registered martial artists. "Ah! Do forgive me! I give you my sincerest apologies." Stepping aside, he beckoned for the green man and the cloaked figure to follow him.

_Well, at least he's gone_, the attendant thought uneasily to herself. Still…as she handed the next, now impatient participant the pen and entry list, she stared at the masked man's retreating back, noting that he was suddenly talking very loudly, and seemingly to himself.

"How long have I been standing there?" the masked man asked calmly. The attendant blinked—he seemed to be addressing the air, not to the green man or the clocked figure. There was a stretch of silence, before the masked man yelped. "_Twelve_ minutes! You should have said something!" More silence. "Oh, poo. You're just terrible, you know that?"

_Oh great. We have a crazy person on the loose. First that stupid Ke and Blithe become my co-workers for the tournament, and now this masked lunatic? Just great…_

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

"This hotel is so BIG!"

Sachiko kicked off her shiny black shoes by the door before rushing inside, her brown tail flickering excitedly as she tried to take in everything at once. Rushing into the bedroom, she squealed when her eyes landed on the large, soft-looking feather bed, and immediately threw herself onto the cool white sheets, sighing in content.

"Oooooh" Sachiko smiled and looked up at Hideaki and Goku, both of whom were watching her with amused expressions on their faces. "I don't know what I'm going to do when I go back to the village, Hideaki-chan. I got used to sleeping on the soft city beds…"

"I know how_ that_ feels," Goku murmured, sitting on the edge of the bed with a wistful expression on his face. "I remember the first time I ever slept on a bed. It was so comfortable that I overslept for _five _hours the next day! It beats sleeping on the ground, that's for sure."

Hideaki laughed, before she sat next to Sachiko and placed a comforting hand on the small girl's head. "I could buy you one after all of this is over. We can pick out the sheets and everything…when we get our company back, that is," she corrected herself, flushing a bit in embarrassment.

Sachiko gazed up at the older girl, a look of fierce determination spreading across her features. "Don't worry, Hideaki-chan," the small girl said confidently. "Tomorrow, we'll get past the preliminaries, and the day after that, we'll beat that meanie head Tsu! I know we can do it! We have to! We've come all this way for a reason, after all!"

"Sachiko…" Hideaki stared at the girl, unsure of what to do, before Goku laughed and wrapped a powerful arm around his young descendant.

"Thatta girl, Sachi-chan!" Goku cheered, matching Sachiko grin for grin. "Just think positive, and nothing can go wrong!"

"YES! We'll win for sure!" Sachiko stood up on the bed and pumped her small fist into the air, posing ridiculously just as Kargo, Jiro, and Kikai entered the room. Jiro and Kargo stared at the small girl with nonplussed looks, while Kikai merely raised a brow.

"Pep talk?" the blonde woman asked, staring at Hideaki.

The younger woman nodded. "Pep talk."

"Ah…"

Sachiko blushed, and laughed nervously as she lowered herself from the bed. "Sorry about that," she apologized, giving Kargo and Jiro a shy smile. "I guess I got carried away…"

"You still looked cute doing it," Kargo replied, a faint blush appearing on his cheeks as well. "What were you guys talking about, anyway?"

"Beds!" Sachiko's small white hands slipped into Kargo and Jiro's larger ones, and she pulled the two boys until they were both sitting on the beds with her. Sachiko giggled as she bounced up and down on the bed from her rear end. "It's so bouncy, and they're even better than the beds in Jiro's house! Can you feel it?"

"Uh…huh." Both Kargo and Jiro were blushing now, but Sachiko, completely oblivious to all this, continued to hold their hands.

"I wonder who we're going to fight tomorrow?" Sachiko went on, dangling her legs as she pondered long and hard. "It would be nice if we all made it to the finals…but imagine if we had to fight each other tomorrow! That would be terrible!"

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

"_Here I come, Goku-san!" Sachiko yelled, as she charged at the Super Saiyajin 2 Goku with all of her might._

_Goku smirked at her, before he stuck out a finger and poked her on the forehead._

"_YAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Sachiko shrieked as she melted into a puddle of goo._

"_EEEEEEK! I'm so sorry, Sachi-chan!" Goku cried out, panicking as he tried to shape the goo back to its original form with his own hands._

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

"…"

"…"

Everyone in the room stared at Sachiko in complete disbelief, as if they couldn't believe what they had just heard.

"…I take it back," Hideaki said slowly. "Sachiko, _your _mind scares me even more than Jiro's. And that's saying _a lot_."

"HEY!" Jiro shouted, glaring icily at his sister. "I'm right here you know!"

"Whatever…"

"Oh, come on, Sachi-chan!" Goku protested, scratching the back of his head in discomfort. "I'd never melt you into a puddle of goop!"

"But Goku-san, I bet you _could_ if you tried!" Sachiko shivered and tightened her hold on Kargo's and Jiro's hands, which just about sent the two into a catatonic state of mind. "Am I right, guys? Goku-san could melt someone into gooey-goop if he wanted to, because he's just _that_ strong…right?"

"Uh…" Neither boy was able to answer her. The Namek's mind was currently in a state of mush from the feeling of Sachiko's small, soft hand in his, and he was unable to form coherent sentences. While Jiro's mind was still more or less intact, he was too busy with trying to ignore the sudden tightness in his chest to answer her.

"Okay, I think that's enough." Kikai went over to the trio and pulled the two boys off of the bed, away from Sachiko. Ignoring their sudden and very loud protests, she dragged them towards the door and threw them out of the room, tossing a key at Jiro's head as she gave them an indifferent, unemotional look. "You guys go to the second room. This room is now officially for women and little girls only. That means you have to get out too, Goku." Kikai glared at the large Saiyajin man, who tried to open his mouth to protest…only to falter when Kikai's stare became ten degrees colder.

"Oh…alright…"

"Good. Now, goodnight, keep quiet, don't _kill _each other—" this was directed at Kargo and Jiro "—and don't show your faces to me until tomorrow morning. Preliminaries start at ten o'clock on Islands 3 and 4." With that, Kikai slammed the door on the faces of the men, leaving them feeling slightly gypped and utterly overwhelmed.

Damn, that woman was scary.

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

One of the attendants, a young man with black hair and blue eyes, whistled cheerfully as he closed the registration booth that was stationed near the beach.

It had been such an eventful day! So many participants this year, and such interesting characters to behold! Yes, the tournament would be quite the spectacle this time around, no doubt about that…

As he walked along the beach, heading towards the nearby hotels, he suddenly spotted something floating in the water. The attendant blinked, before he realized that what he was seeing was a small, wet gray squirrel that was desperately holding on to a piece of driftwood for dear life.

"Oh my goodness!' The attendant, who was an animal lover, quickly waded into the water and grabbed the half-drowned squirrel, cradling it in his arms as he dried the poor animal the best he could with his shirt. "You poor thing! You look half dead! Let's get you some acorns…you must be starving!"

Slowly, the body heat from the attendant warmed the small gray squirrel enough for it to look up at him with its beady black eyes.

"Oh look! You're awake! Aren't you a cute little thing? Now, let's go and…aha, okay, don't nibble on _me_ little fella…okay, biting is bad…ow…_ow_…OW! OWWWWW! OH MY GOD! GET IT OFF! GET IT OFF OF MEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

**Sachiko: Next time, the preliminaries begin! And you can be sure that we're going to reunite with some old faces...both bad and good!**

**TURMOIL: And now…the results of the compatibility quizzes!**

**Sachiko: YAY!**

**Hideaki: (Still staring at last scene with a look of horror) You're still doing the quiz? ARE YOU INSANE?**

**Eighteen: Um, I agree with Hideaki. I don't know if you've noticed, but a man just got eaten. Alive. By a squirrel.**

**TURMOIL: Well, duh. I did give the Bloodthirsty Squirrelly Squirrel his name for a reason…**

**Hideaki: You're a monster!**

**TURMOIL: Oh, come on! You didn't protest about the damn thing thirty chapters ago, when I actually introduced the BTS.**

**Hideaki: But I thought you'd get rid of him! What if he eats Jiro?**

**TURMOIL: …**

**Hideaki: Oh my god…**

**TURMOIL: Moving on! Hideaki, you got Yamcha as a sixty percent match, with Gohan coming in with forty percent. Interesting…**

**Hideaki: …ew.**

**TURMOIL: You think that's gross? Eighteen had fifty-percent Krillin, fifty percent—get this—VEGETA.**

**Eighteen: (pales) You're lying.**

**TURMOIL: Not about this. Now, put that nice pointy object away…**

**Sachiko: (Excited) What about me? TELL ME MINE! I want to know what I got, even though I still don't know what this test was about!**

**TURMOIL: Ah yes…**

**Sachiko: WELL!**

**TURMOIL: Unfortunately, if I give my answers for you, I'll lose half my fanbase.**

**Sachiko and Hideaki: WHAT?**

**Eighteen: (Sighs) Trust me, you guys don't want to know. I already read the script and it's BRUTAL.**

**TURMOIL: Yeah…see, the two people Sachiko got match up with had personalities that were remarkably similar to two of the characters in this story. I don't want to cause trouble…**

**Hideaki: You…you skank! **

**TURMOIL: Whatever… (to the readers) Read and review, please.**


	49. Ding Dongs and Waffles

Kargo: Our author does not own Dragonball, Dragonball Z, or Dragonball GT.

Jiro: However, she is now a proud new owner of a copy of Dragonball Z Shin Budokai. She seems to really like the game…she bought one for cheap at the store a few days ago, and she hasn't put it down since. She really wants to get those "S" rankings…

Sachiko: Well, that's because it has Janemba in it! TURMOIL-san likes Janemba because she thanks him for bringing about the fusion of Gogeta, one of the strongest warriors of the non-canon Dragonball universe!

Kargo: …I seriously doubt that that's why she likes Janemba. If anything, she probably likes the fact that the monster forced Goku and Vegeta to perform the Fusion dance. This, by the way, was some of the funniest scenes ever done by Vegeta and Goku in one movie…

Sachiko: (Giggles) I like the dance! It's funnier than the earring fusion. Um, what was it called again?

Kargo: (Sweatdrops) Portara?

Sachiko: Oh yeah! (Smiles sweetly at Kargo) I wonder what it would be like to do a fusion with you, Kargo-kun? Can you imagine the two of us, fusing together into one body forever and ever?

Kargo: (Nosebleeds) Eeep.

Jiro: (Angry) Oh, shut up about fusion! I hate those stupid techniques! Besides, Goku and Vegeta look totally gay whenever they fuse.

Sachiko: Huh? Gay? You mean they looked happy?

Jiro: No, I meant they looked like homos doing the Fusion Dance. And their crotches freakin' collides with one another when they use the Portara earrings! I mean, just LOOK at how it's done. (Flips on a nearby TV, which shows Goku and Vegeta, both wearing their Portara earring, being forced towards one another by an invisible force. A bright light suddenly explodes around them as their hips collide, and after one more burst of light, Vegetto stands in their place)

Kargo: (traumatized for life) THAT'S WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE FROM THE OUTSIDE? Oh god, how could any self respecting male actually _agree _to use such a technique?

Sachiko: Um, I don't get what was so wrong about it.

Jiro: FEH! Of course YOU wouldn't get it.

Sachiko: And what's a homo? And what'dya mean by "crotches," Jiro?

Jiro: …

Kargo: …we should…probably go ahead and start the story now.

_**Chapter Forty-Nine: Ding Dongs and Waffles  
**_

"Welcome, one and all, to the 175th Tenkaichi Budokai! I'm Brunhilda A. Nouncer, and I'll be your announcer and one of many official referees for Island 3!"

The dark blonde woman grinned as hundreds of participants roared in response, pumping their fists excitedly in the air as they watched her with eager anticipation. Her grin widened when she spotted a few familiar faces in the crowd, particularly that of a young little girl with blue hair, who was holding the hands of a certain Hideaki Kutai and a handsome man wearing an orange and blue gi.

_Ah, Miss Hideaki and Miss Sachiko! And that man must be the kid's father…what a treat!_

"Ladies and gentlemen," Brunhilda went on, giving the crowd a mischievous smile, "I hope you've all enjoyed a restful night at the wonderful hotels of Sentou Island…because now the tough part really begins! For the preliminary round, it's a battle of strength, determination, and above all…stamina! There are currently four rings on Island 3, and each of you has been pre-selected to fight in one of the rings. You will fight all of the other competitors in your arena until there is only one competitor left in each ring, and those four will move on to be part of the final 8, no questions asked!"

"Do we get a break?" one of the fighters asked nervously, still chewing on a waffle that he snagged from the breakfast buffet. "I don't think I can fight everyone without taking a break…"

"Sorry, no can do!' Brunhilda said loudly into her microphone. "The only breaks you get are the ones in between your fights. And even then, you're not allowed to leave the island. If you leave Island 3 or 4 at any time period before the final eight are decided, you automatically forfeit your shot!"

A loud groan of protest suddenly erupted from the crowds, but several policemen suddenly appeared on the stage next to Brunhilda, holding blasters and staring down at the fighters menacingly. Silence immediately fell after that.

One of the Budokai monks turned to one of his brothers and gave him a grimace. "Whose idea was it to get city policemen to help us in this tournament?" he asked, disgruntled and put off by the menacing looking blasters. His brother sighed, and shook his head.

"Don't ask me. Capsule Corps is sponsoring the Budokai this year. It was their idea to get the assistance of the police."

"Oh boy…"

"Now, here are the general rules," Brunhilda went on, pulling out a small notepad from the inside of her business suit as several policemen pulled a large chart onto the stage. The dark blonde checked her notes briefly, before she pointed to one of the pictures on the chart, one that had a picture of two men fighting on a Budokai arena. "You are allowed to use any technique that fits your fighting style," Brunhilda explained, "as long as it does not result in a fatality of another fighter or the spectators in the area. With that said—" here, Brunhilda pointed to a picture of a gravestone "—obviously you can't kill your opponent, or you will be disqualified."

"BOO!"

"Oh, shut up! It takes a lot of money to console grieving families, so keep the blood and guts to a minimum or else!" Brunhilda glared at the increasingly upset crowds, before she pointed to a picture of a man falling out of the ring. "If you step outside the ring, you will be considered out of bounds and you will lose the match. I don't care if it was an accident, a mistake, or a cruel twist of fate. If even a molecule of your body touches the ground, then you're out. No poking in the eyes—" Brunhilda pointed to her eyes "—and no hitting below the belt. I'm sure I don't have to point at the body part for you folks to understand…"

And then, without warning, Sachiko raised her hand in the air. "Why can't we hit people below the belt, Brunhilda-san?" the small girl asked innocently.

"GAAAH!" Many of the people surrounding the little girl facefaulted straight to the ground, including Brunhilda, several of the policemen, Hideaki, and the strange man who was wearing the orange and blue gi.

"What? What did I say?" Sachiko blinked at all of those who were lying facedown on the ground, their limbs occasionally twitching as she gave Brunhilda a confused look. "Brunhilda-san, what did I say? I mean, I just want to know why you can't hit people below the belt. Does that mean you can't hit their legs and feet either?"

"…"

"…"

"S-sachi-chan…" The man wearing the orange and blue gi peeled his face from the ground, and gave the girl a nervous laugh. "That's not exactly what she meant…"

"Then what did she mean, Goku-san?"

"Ah…"

"It's like this," Brunhilda finally answered, slowly pulling herself to her feet. "Miss Sachiko, you know that boys and girls have…unique differences, don't you?"

"Hmm?" Sachiko cocked her head to the side in confusion.

"I guess you don't. Okay then." Brunhilda coughed nervously, as a bright pink hue quickly spread across her cheeks. "Um, Miss Sachiko, boys and girls have physical differences in their anatomies. Boys tend to have…um…" Brunhilda wracked her brain for a word that wouldn't sound too vulgar for a ten-year-old girl. Suddenly, her eyes landed on a cake that one of the nearby fighters was eating. "Ah! Boys tend to have Naughty Naughty Ding Dongs in their pelvic regions!"

The fighter eating the Ding Dong suddenly choked and immediately spat out the cake, coughing and spitting and furiously wiping his mouth against his sleeve. His love for the snack had now been completely and utterly destroyed…

The little girl, on her part, seemed to find the information fascinating and was listening with great intrigue. "That's so interesting, Brunhilda-san!" Sachiko murmured. "Well, if boys have Naughty Naughty Ding Dongs in their hip area, then what do girls have?"

"Girls?" Brunhilda blinked. "Um, girls have…girls have Woohoo Waffle Fannies between their legs."

Several women and men threw up the waffles they had eaten during the breakfast buffet. "I'll never eat waffles again!" one of the spectators screamed.

"So, did I answer your questions, Miss Sachiko?" Brunhilda went on, trying her best to ignore the retches and disgusted groans that were coming from the other fighters below. "Do you understand now? You can't hit a boy or a girl below the belt, which means you can't hit them in…those special areas." She couldn't say those names again. She didn't think her sanity could take the humiliation…

"I understand perfectly." Sachiko nodded solemnly.

Brunhilda sighed, and continued to explain the rules, albeit halfheartedly.

"Oh god," Hideaki groaned, trying her best to keep the contents of her breakfast inside her stomach. "That was the worst description of the human anatomy I have ever heard in my life…"

"I didn't know that boys had Naughty Naughty Ding Dongs!" Sachiko chirped, hugging Goku's arm as he snatched up an untouched wrapper of Ding Dongs that another fighter had thrown away. "You learn something new everyday!"

"Yeah!" Goku agreed, ripping the wrapper apart and giving Sachiko half of the cake. "Naughty Naughty Ding Dongs and Woohoo Waffle Fannies, eh? And to think, I've been calling them a penis and vagina all these years! Wait until I tell the others back at Otherworld that they were wrong!"

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

"Do you think it was alright to leave Sachiko with Goku and Hideaki?" Kargo asked worriedly. "I mean, I know Hideaki can take care of her, but Goku's…well, Goku. And who knows where Tsu's lurking on these islands…"

"They'll be fine," Kikai said carelessly, waving a hand in the air in dismissal. "Goku can more than take care of any danger in his vicinity, and Hideaki's decision-making can keep Goku's idiocy in check."

"What about us?" Jiro cut in, giving Kikai a less-than-pleased look. "They're probably living it up on Island 3, while we're stuck on Island 4 with these retards!" The human teen glared at the fighters around him, looking at each of them in disgust. However, no one noticed this—they were all focused on the young announcer boy in the front stage, one who was dressed in a black suit, had shaggy black hair that completely covered his eyes, and had on a black baseball cap that was tilted so that half of his face was shadowed.

For some reason, Kargo found him to be somewhat familiar.

"Stop your complaining," Kikai snapped, bopping Jiro lightly across the head. "Just be glad that we don't have to face each other in the preliminaries straight away. We each got assigned to different rings, and we all have a greater chance of getting to the finals."

"But what if we meet Tsu before the finals, Kikai?" Kargo went on, frowning. "We'd get pulverized…and then he'd finish off the rest of us one by one…"

"He won't."

"How do you know?"

"He _won't_," Kikai replied decidedly. "You see, unlike you brats, I was actually held hostage by that man for a much longer period of time. I've had enough conversations with that lunatic to know that above everything else, above tactics, power, and even _victory_…he values a good, long drama. He likes to drag things out, to make a situation more interesting for himself. That's why he didn't kill us outright the last time, and that's probably why he didn't try to catch you kids until the very end."

"Oh." Kargo blinked, before he slowly nodded.

"Trust me…he'll wait until the finals before making his move. I guarantee it. He'll probably rig the numbers so that he's on a completely different ring from us in the preliminaries." Kikai thought for a moment, before her lips thinned. "Can't say whether or not that's better or worse for us, but…"

"Alright then!" The announcer boy on the stage grinned, and pointed to a large plasma television set behind him that rivaled the size of a building. "Ladies and gentlemen, your profiles have randomly been submitted to the supercomputer stationed on Island 1, and your preliminary matches have been selected at random! Now, the first four fights will begin! Fighters, when you see your picture on the screen, please go to your assigned ring, and greet your opponent!"

The television screen flickered, before a white background suddenly flashed before the eyes of the participants. Four pairs of pictures suddenly appeared on the screen, where each pair of pictures was connected by a single black line.

Jiro's picture was the first to appear, his image connected to a picture of a large, burly looking kickboxer.

"Will the selected fighters please report to their designated arenas?" The announcer boy said loudly, as he pulled out a remote from the inside of his suit and pressed a bright red button. With a loud _poof_, four large, standard Budokai rings suddenly rose from the ground at random parts of the island, causing some parts of the crowd to scream in shock and fear when they found themselves being lifted from the ground at a sudden rate.

In seconds, the four rings were in place, and fighters and spectators alike moved aside as the selected eight made their way to the battle zone. Jiro was the slowest of the eight, looking rather disappointed and disgruntled at his opponent.

"This is pathetic," Jiro grumbled, pulling himself onto the stone arena. "I've seen five-year-olds who have better ki this guy. I'd rather fight Eighteen than him…"

"You got a problem with me, you little brat?" the kickboxer snapped, narrowing his eyes at Jiro.

"Well, to be honest, yes. Yes, I do have a problem with you. You are undoubtedly weaker than me, and I really hate having to waste unnecessary energy on shitheads like you." Jiro snorted, and crossed his arms. "I can beat you in less than a second."

The kickboxer's jaw dropped in stunned disbelief. "Why you—you little—"

"Let the first round of the preliminaries begin!" the announcer boy said cheerfully, glancing at the four rings in excitement. "Fighters are you ready? Are you set? FIGHT!"

"YAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" The kickboxer ran flying at Jiro, fists high and ready to strike…

"Kyah!" Jiro suddenly powered up, the sudden burst of ki creating a huge gust of wind that stopped the kickboxer in his tracks and sent him flying out of the ring, landing in a messy heap on the grass below.

"OUT OF BOUNDS!" the announcer boy declared. "Jiro Kutai is the winner of his ring…and has done it in six-tenths of a second!"

"Told ya," Jiro said mockingly to the now furious kickboxer. As several monks and policemen rushed forward to stop the kickboxer from rushing at Jiro in a blind rage, Kikai and Kargo watched all this with nonplussed looks. Neither of them were disappointed at Jiro's victory, but they weren't exactly thrilled with his win either.

"I know I shouldn't," Kargo said quietly to the blonde woman, "but I somehow feel like strangling Jiro every time he gets into that arrogant little attitude of his."

Kikai snorted. "Tell me about it. I've had to deal with that from Vegeta for years…"

Because Jiro's match ended so quickly, and because another ring had finished their first round as well, the announcer boy had already posted the next pair of pictures on the television screen. Kikai's eye twitched as her picture came up, accompanied by sudden hushed murmurs and whisperings.

"Is that Kikai Ichihatsu?"

"Man, I heard that she entered the tourney, but I didn't actually believe it…"

"She'll get crushed! Poor girlie…"

Kargo clicked his tongue judgmentally at the remarks, before he gave Kikai a pitying look. "Is this what you had to deal with in every Budokai you've entered?"

"…pretty much." The blonde woman sighed, before she made her way towards her designated ring. Kargo chuckled softly at her overconfident looking opponent. Poor guy wouldn't know what hit him…he was literally fighting against a tank.

The Namek boy turned his gaze back towards the plasma screen, searching for his own image as the fights continued and more and more participants were forced out of the competition. For a second, he thought he found his picture…and then, he did a double take.

"N-no way!" Kargo gasped. He stared long and hard at the image before he looked back towards the ring, where a sumo wrestler got ready to fight a very tall, black-and-white clad Namekian man.

"Dad…"

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

Goku tilted back and forth to each side, grinning as his opponent threw punch after punch at him in vain. He ducked below another punch, grabbed the man's arm, and flung him over his shoulder, where his opponent screamed as he collided with the wall…which happened to be a hundred feet away from the ring.

"Oops!" Goku sweatdropped as the man collapsed onto the floor, twitching. "Sorry about that! Are you okay?"

"…" The man slid from the wall to the floor, twitching every few seconds in response.

"OUT OF BOUNDS!" Brunhilda cried out, laughing nervously as the other fighters looked on with shocked, bulging eyes. "And the winner of this ring is Son Goku! Eh-heh-heh-heh…"

Goku scratched the back of his head and laughed too, walking over to his prone opponent and offering a hand. The man blinked at him from the ground, before he shrieked and ran away from the large Saiyajin as fast as his legs could carry him. Several other fighters, particularly those who haven't fought yet, exchanged worried glances before they too decided to walk out of the competition with their limbs still intact. Goku and Hideaki stared after them, sweatdropping.

"Look at what you've done, Goku!" Hideaki groaned. "You're scaring off the other fighters!"

Goku scratched the back of his head even harder in embarrassment. "Well gosh, I didn't mean to scare anyone. I just overdid it a little, I guess…"

"A LITTLE?"

Suddenly, the bell rang at another arena. Both Goku and Hideaki turned to see Sachiko standing at the edge of the ring, striking a defensive position as her opponent ran at her, screaming his lungs out. Just before they made contact, Sachiko suddenly flipped up into the air at the last second and somersaulted over him, landing a kick on his back just before she touched the ground. The boy yelped as his arms wobbled rapidly, trying to keep himself from falling over the edge of the ring.

But just before he could regain his balance, he suddenly felt a small finger poke his back, a poke that didn't have much force in it, but was still enough to knock him forward and land face first into the grass outside of the ring.

"And the winner is Sachiko Muzai!" Brunhilda suddenly shouted. The dark blonde high-fived a _very_ happy Sachiko, who was currently bouncing up and down the arena in sheer joy.

"Go, Sachiko-chan!" Hideaki cheered, waving a banner of Sachiko's face in the air. "We believe in you!"

"YAY!" Goku laughed happily. "That's my girl! You get 'em, Sachi-chan!"

Sachiko giggled, and was just about to leave the ring when the plasma screen suddenly displayed her picture again, setting her to fight with another opponent…at that exact moment. "What?" Sachiko yelped, staring at the screen in disbelief. "Brunhilda-san! Why do I have to fight two matches in a row?"

"I…I don't know." Brunhilda checked with the monks and policemen, both of whom informed her that that was indeed the next scheduled match. The dark blonde frowned and tried to argue on Sachiko's behalf, but after a long, heated debate with one of the policemen, the sound of a blaster cocking into place made the announcer woman change her mind. "Sorry, Sachiko…"

"Aw, man."

"That's okay, Sachiko!" Goku cried out, though he looked somewhat apprehensive at the turn of events. "You can beat them…easy." He faltered off as the fight began, and Sachiko quickly flew over and kicked her opponent in the stomach before he could even blink. "Huh. Speedy little thing, isn't she?"

"Kinda unfair, though." Hideaki put down her banner, and pursed her lips. "You and Sachiko-chan have super powers, Goku. You two make the matches look like cakewalk."

"Cake? WHERE? I'm starving!"

Hideaki sweatdropped. "You—you just ate fifteen minutes ago!"

"Well, yeah," Goku admitted, grinning as he did so. "But still…I'm hungry again."

The young woman slapped a hand to her forehead. _Oh, Goku..._

"Hideaki? Hideaki, is that you?"

Suddenly, a surprised and very _pleased_ voice called out to the young, blue-haired woman. Hideaki turned around, and she squealed in delight when her eyes fell upon a young man around her age, one who had short brown hair, a nervous looking smile, and was dressed in a simple gray fighting gi. "Katsu!" Hideaki cried, running up to her boyfriend and throwing her arms around his neck. "Oh, Katsu! I missed you so, so, _soooo_ much!"

"Miss Kutai…" Katsu smiled, before he tenderly returned her embrace. "I missed you too…it's just not the same without you at the office, you know? I mean, look what happened when you left!"

"Don't remind me!" Hideaki cried out, pulling away from the brown-haired man's hold. "Darn it, I can't believe dad lost the company! This is all his fault…now my brother and our friends are risking their lives just to get it back…but…what are _you_ doing here anyway?" Hideaki blinked at Katsu's outfit, which made the young man blush and cough nervously.

"Well," he explained, "believe it or not, Miss Kutai, the scallywags who took over the company said that they would keep your father onboard as president if he sponsored this year's Tenkaichi Budokai."

Goku laughed. "Heh! Scallywags…"

"They also mentioned," Katsu went on, "that you and your brother would be attending and that if you won, the company would be returned to us. I thought I'd up our chances by joining the tournament too."

"Really?" Hideaki looked over her rather skinny, wiry, wispy looking boyfriend, and felt her eye twitch involuntarily. "Hmm. Ah…Katsu?"

"Yes, sugar plumcakes?"

"That sounds delicious!" Goku exclaimed. Hideaki shushed him, before she gave Katsu a serious stare.

"Look Katsu…I'm sorry, but do you really have the physicality to win any matches? I mean, I doubt that you can beat even one guy here…and last I recall, you couldn't even lift that paperweight back in my office."

"Oh, don't worry, Miss Kutai!" Katsu replied, grinning. "I've become much stronger since then. I've already won my first two rounds of matches!"

"Oh?" Hideaki tilted her head to the side. Well, this was new. Katsu had never been a tough guy in all the years she had known him, and to know that he had just won two preliminary rounds was…well, stunning, to say the least.

_I wonder if he's been hitting the gym?_

"But you know," Katsu said thoughtfully, "there's this really weird guy in the fourth ring. Thankfully we won't have him, since we are designated to the first three rings, but he's been decimating all of his opponents in all of his matches so far."

"Really?" Hideaki gasped, and Goku suddenly looked much more serious than before. "W-what did he look like?" the young woman asked.

_Oh god, is it Tsu? I hope it's not Tsu! I don't want him anywhere near me on this island!_

"Well," Katsu explained, "I'm not sure if the fighter's even a man or a woman. The person was wearing a baggy black gi under a long brown cloak. And the cloak was hooded, so I could only see the bottom half of the person's face. He or she's fighting right now, by the way, if you want to see him. Or her."

The brown-haired man pointed towards the farthest ring, where indeed a cloaked figure was standing before a rather tired looking opponent. Goku and Hideaki both gasped when the cloaked figure suddenly grabbed the opponent by the neck, hauled him to his feet, and threw the exhausted man out of the ring without even uttering a single word.

"And the winner is…R?" Brunhilda looked back at the hooded figure, who merely nodded his or her head. "Okay then…THE WINNER IS R!"

"...well, that's not good," Katsu murmured quietly.

"I don't feel any ki," Goku said finally. "I don't think it's Tsu, though…it might be that woman, Rei. Her name starts with an R, right? And anyway, the person seems too lean and skinny to be Tsu."

"Yeah," Hideaki agreed. "Besides, Tsu would probably be _conversing _with his opponents, not brutally throwing them out of the ring. That's more of Rei's style…"

"Goku-san!" Sachiko suddenly bounded over to the large Saiyajin, and hugged his leg tightly. "Goku-san, did you see me? I beat all those big men so quickly! And I beat two of them in a row!"

"Yeah, you were great!" Completely forgetting about the fact that one of their enemies was nearby, Goku picked up Sachiko and twirled her in the air, grinning as the small girl began to scream with delight. "I'm so proud of you, kiddo!"

"YAY!"

"Goku," Hideaki said softly, sweatdropping as she did so, "um…we might have a psychopathic woman in the room. This isn't really the time to be all happy and perky…"

"YAY! Spin me faster, Goku-san!"

"You got it, Sachi!"

"…oh, forget it. You're stronger than Rei anyway." Despite herself, Hideaki found herself smiling at the scene. It was a shame that Goku and Sachiko weren't a genuine father-daughter pair. Just seeing them together made any situation seem so much brighter. She turned to Katsu with intentions to ask him for a camera, only yo find that Katsu was already approaching Sachiko and Goku. With a soft smile, placing a hand onto the small girl's head as Goku held the small girl in his arms. "What a sweet child you've got there, sir," Katsu greeted amiably. "Such a wonderful little thing…"

"Thank you!" Goku chirped as he and Sachiko gave Katsu identical goofy grins. "Isn't she great? She beat at least five other guys who are _more _than twice her age!"

"I see!" Katsu sweatdropped. "Well, I was talking more about how cute she was, but I suppose her skills are also important…"

"OH! I almost forgot!" Sachiko reached inside her oversized white shirt, and began to search intently for something. "Goku-san, you'll never believe who I found on my bed this morning! Kikai and Hideaki said to get rid of it, but he's my friend! I thought he had died back at the base, but I'm so happy he's alive, even though he's covered in weird red stuff! Goku-san, I want you to meet Mr. Squirr—"

Suddenly, Brunhilda's voice echoed through the loudspeakers. "Mr. Goku Son! Please report to your designated arena! Your fighter is waiting! Mr. Goku Son, please report to your arena!"

"Oh gosh! I gotta go!" Goku lowered Sachiko to the ground, giving each of them a small smile before he left. "This won't take long, okay Sachi-chan? Stay with Hideaki, and don't wander off to any rings other than ours." Goku's smile faltered slightly as he said this, but it was only for a moment. "Hey, maybe after this we can go to a food vendor and get some hot dogs!"

"Yeah!" Sachiko agreed, nodding her head enthusiastically. Goku grinned, before he turned to Katsu.

"Oh, and Katsu, good look on your matches, okay? Since we're all on different rings, we might all get to the finals!"

Katsu nodded, his lips curving upwards. "Believe me, Goku…I wouldn't want it any other way."

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

Hours later and _many _battles afterwards, the final eight contestants were finally decided.

Goku, Sachiko, Kargo, Jiro, and Kikai had all won at their respective rings, but none of them had been pleased to discover that Piccolo had also won a spot at the top eight, as well as the mysterious cloaked figure. Goku and Sachiko were almost positive that the cloaked person was Rei, and Sachiko loudly expressed her anger at finding out that such an "icky, terrible, fudge cookie of a woman" had been right under their noses the entire time.

The surprising eighth contestant had been Katsu, which caught _everyone _off guard. Still, Goku and Sachiko had expressed their sincere congratulations at the brown-haired man's victory and Kargo, after hearing about him from Sachiko, greeted the man with geniality as well.

Jiro, who had known the young secretary almost all of his life, had been shocked on finding out that such a "weakling" had even made it past the first round of the preliminaries. Hideaki said nothing—she expressed her joy along with everyone else, but the sudden feeling of distress that came over her couldn't be shaken off, and she had no idea why she felt this way.

_Stupid brain, _Hideaki thought angrily._ Trying to bring me down with possible scenarios of our high chances of failure..._

The final eight were sent back to Island 2, where they were gathered for a large, celebratory dinner in the finest restaurant the island had to offer. The fighters and their friends and families were directed into a large dining room that had two large tables, both of which were laden with foods of all kinds, shapes, and sizes. Splendid ice sculptures dazzled the eyes of the women, while the smell of freshly cooked food tantalized the noses and stomachs of the men (plus Sachiko).

Oddly enough, Rei and Piccolo were not present at the dinner. They supposedly felt "tired" and reported that they needed to rest.

"Let me congratulate the eight of you—well, six anyway—for making it to the quarterfinals of the tournament!" Brunhilda said cheerfully, holding up a glass of sparkling water between her fingers instead of a microphone. "As a reward, this entire dinner is on the house, so eat, drink, and be merry!"

"HOORAY!" At this, Goku and Sachiko immediately began to attack the food at one of the tables, making the others sweatdrop and back away ever so slightly. Brunhilda stared at the two in a mixture of wonder and horror, before she shook herself out of her trance and focused her attention of the fighters who _weren't _preoccupied with stuffing their faces.

"Okay then…as the rest of you know, it only gets harder from here. Tomorrow morning, the eight of you will head to Island 1, which is by far the largest ring ever created in the history of the Tenkaichi Budokai. After this, there are absolutely no breaks at all. Tomorrow, you will have to fight until there is only one winner."

"Mmm…pass the ketchup, Goku-san!"

"'Ear oo' go, Sachi."

" … " Kargo, Jiro, Hideaki, and Kikai sighed and hung their heads as Sachiko and Goku moved on to a second table, the first filled with empty plates and bones of what had once been chicken and fish.

"Anyway! Tomorrow, the next round starts at eleven o'clock in the morning! There will be one hour dedicated to a quick examination by the fine Budokai monks—" Brunhilda turned her gaze towards the monks, who waved meekly at the fighters "—and they'll check to make sure that you're a-okay before getting into the rough and tumble! Now…dig in! The night is young, after all!"

"Dig into what?" Kikai asked dryly. Everyone turned to the tables and face faulted—there was absolutely no food left on either table. Sachiko and Goku were currently in a tug of war over the last piece of cake. Apparently, they still weren't full…

"It's mine! You ate more chicken than me, Goku-san!"

"Well, you hogged all of the pork buns!"

"What about _us_?" Jiro shrieked, burrowing his way in between Sachiko and Goku. "You two ate all the food! Now we have to wait another thirty minutes for the cooks to make more!"

"Oh, shut up rich boy! You're overreacting."

"Stay out of this, freak! You and the cybernetic bitch don't even need to eat anyway!"

Kikai and Hideaki stared at the four with a look of utter dismay. "I praise you for being able to cope with them for so long," the blonde said quietly to Hideaki, shaking her head at the scene the others were making.

"You get used to it after a while," Hideaki murmured back. "Still…I wish they wouldn't act like this. Rei and Piccolo are on the same vicinity as us, for crying out loud. We could get attacked at any moment, and then there's…" She faltered off, that sick, sinking feeling returning to the pit of her stomach. Damn it, this was all Rei's fault. Rei and Tsu and that stupid mind-controlled Piccolo. How dare they mess with her usually calm and composed genius mind? Those people were nothing but traitors and sadists and _bitches_ anyway, and—oh GOD, why did she feel so worried?

Katsu suddenly turned in her direction, and gave her a shy smile, a smile that was similar to the ones he had given to her during the days before this while dragonball fiasco was started. Hideaki forced herself to smile back, although it took a considerable amount of effort on her part.

Maybe she was just being paranoid. After all, one of the greatest fighters who ever lived was on their side, fighting in their name. She had nothing to worry about.

Right?

* * *

**Kargo: Next time, we'll try to prepare our bodies and spirits for the upcoming fights. but with creeps like Ke and Tsu and Blithe around, I doubt that anything's going to be easy for us... **

**Jiro: I would like to heavily protest the lack of action in the preliminaries!  
**

**Sachiko: Huh? But there was so much fighting in this one.**

**Jiro: Yeah. PATHETIC ONES! **

**Sachiko: Oh, don't worry! TURMOIL-san said that things were going to get rougher.**

**Jiro: How much rougher?**

**Sachiko: I dunno…like, sandpaper rough? (Flicks on the TV, where Goku and Vegeta perform the Fusion Dance to form the fat Veku) Teeheehee. Goku-san's fat.**

**Kargo: Oh great. Just another reason for me NOT to fuse with anyone. Ever.**

**Sachiko: You know, Kargo…a lot of people actually want to see you and Jiro fuse.**

**Jiro/Kargo: WHAT?**

**Sachiko: (Giggles) That would be so FUNNY! What would you guys look like? What would we call you two? Jirgo? Kiro?**

**Kargo: …ew.**

**Jiro: Must…get…mental images…out!**

**Sachiko: (Oblivious) Oh, I think you two would look so cool as a fusion! But, enough of that. Read and review, everybody!**


	50. Preparation of the Mind and Body

TURMOIL: I don't own Dragonball, or any of the series that followed it. So please…stop hounding me, you insane lawyers.

Sachiko: YAY! We're up to chapter fifty!

TURMOIL: Yuppers. There's probably going to be about 10-12 chapters left, and then that's it. The end.

Jiro: (Sighs in relief) FINALLY. This lame-o story will be over with.

TURMOIL: And then it's on to the SEQUEL! (Pulls out new, LONGER script) And you'll all be grown up! That means I can add more violence and mayhem and life-or-death threatening situations! (Grins)

Jiro: …

Kargo: Huh? What'dya mean there might be 10-12 chapters? That's a pretty big estimate.

TURMOIL: Well, my chapters have a way of running longer than expected. Look at the miko challenge, for example. That thing was only supposed to be three chapters, and it ended up being six!

Sachiko: But it was still fun!

TURMOIL: True. And it also seems to be the event where Jiro starts his little obsession for you.

Sachiko: Huh?

Jiro: (Panics) Shut up, woman! I do not have any non-platonic feelings for Sachiko! My feelings are one hundred percent platonic, and are not sexual in nature by the slightest!

Kargo: (Rolls his eyes) Suuuuuure. Keep telling yourself that, rich boy.

TURMOIL: Anyhoo! There's going to be several old characters returning in this chapter and the next, but there's a new character introduced in this chapter too. He's a creation by **Crosel**, who had won the seemingly random challenge I had posted a couple of chapters back, and won the right to input one of his own characters into my story. I won't go into detail about the character now, but at the "Wind-Down"…well, we'll talk some more.

Sachiko: Alright then! Let's start the story!

_**Chapter Fifty: Preparations of the Mind and Body**_

Sachiko's immediate reaction was that it would be worth becoming a regular Tenkaichi Budokai fighter, if only to gain access to the Sentou Islands bathhouses.

After the less-than-pleasant dinner party, everyone had retired to Island 2 to turn in for the night. However, after noticing that Sachiko's face was heavily stained with chicken grease and oily fish gravy, Kikai absolutely refused to share her bed with the small girl until Sachiko was scrubbed, rinsed, and spun in the dryer until she was clean enough to meet the blonde woman's standards.

Thankfully, the hotel bathhouses were still open for the night.

The women's section of the bathhouse was certainly pleasing to the eye. It was a large, spacious area, lit softly by an enormous, candle-filled chandelier that hung above the entire room. The floors were waxed and polished wood, and the walls were painted a soft pastel green, a soothing sight for tired eyes. A rectangular, swimming pool sized bathtub sunk in the middle of the floor, and was filled to the brim with dark, murky green water that had hot wisps of steam rising lazily from the surface.

Long white linen curtains hung at the windows, and Hideaki, whose naked body was covered only by a fluffy white towel, quickly pulled the white curtains down, not wanting any outsiders to see her in such a state of undress. Sachiko, who was less concerned about the matters of nakedness between members of the same sex, quickly shed her towel and dabbed her toes into the hot, murky water of the bath.

"This isn't anything like the river water back at home, Hideaki-chan," Sachiko exclaimed curiously, dipping her tiny foot in and out of the water. "It's all green and briny and it smells really nice!"

"Well, it should! I think there are herbs and dried special salts mixed into the bathwater," Hideaki replied as she pulled down the last of the curtains. "It's supposed to be good for you. Purifies the skin and makes it all white and smooth…"

"Really? Wow…" Sachiko laughed, and quickly slid her body into the large tub. And here, Sachiko gasped in shock. The bath was so deep that her feet barely touched the bottom—and this was from the shallow end. As she made her way farther into the pool-sized tub, the water level quickly rose over her head, forcing her to swim just to keep her head afloat.

"Eep! Hideaki!" Sachiko yelped as she suddenly felt the waters swirl around her body rapidly, and panicked when she accidentally swallowed a mouthful of salty, briny hot water when the bath began to suck her _under_. "Pa-tooey! Ew! HELP! There's a monster in the water and it's trying to kill me!"

"Sachiko-chan!" Hideaki ran over to the small girl and dove into the water, grasping at the flailing girl's hand while trying to avoid getting sucked in herself. "Darn it, you got caught in the whirlpools! This is a mega-sized Jacuzzi tub, you know!"

"WAAAAH! I don't wanna drown in icky water! EEEEEEEK!"

Strong, feminine arms quickly wrapped around Sachiko's body from behind and yanked her out of the whirlpool, away from danger. Coughing and sputtering, Sachiko spat out the salty water and blinked up at her savior...who turned out to be a very nonplussed Kikai.

The blonde woman was also towel-clad, just as Hideaki and Sachiko were, but up until this point Kikai had always made sure to wear long sleeved shirts and pants, as well as gloves to hide whatever lasting scars that she had retained since the last fight. Kikai's sudden nakedness revealed just how far Tsu had damaged her, and Hideaki's eyes widened at the full extent of the blonde woman's robotic arm and leg, at the ugly gray metal that clashed horribly with the older woman's pale beauty.

It was a horrid sight to behold, but Hideaki knew better than to comment on such things. Forcing a cough, she quickly averted her gaze to the ceiling, pretending to be very interested in the chandelier above.

"Thank you for saving me, Kikai-san!" Hideaki heard Sachiko chirp suddenly. "But is it alright for you to come all nakie, nakie, nakie into the water? Hideaki told me that metal sometimes rusts after being exposed to wet places!"

"AAAAAAAAAAGH!" Hideaki nearly facefaulted into the pool. _Sachiko, you idiot! That's the last thing you should comment on right now!_

"This metal is engineered to that it doesn't rust," Kikai grumbled. "And honestly, it's none of your business."

"But I worry about you," Sachiko protested, looking up at the older woman with a pout. "I care a lot about you, Kikai-san."

"…" Kikai was silent for a moment, before she snorted and averted her gaze. "Just worry about yourself, kid. I mean, just _look_ at you. I can't take my eyes off of you for even a second, can I?" The blonde woman dragged Sachiko back to the shallow end, with Hideaki nervously swimming behind them. Sitting Sachiko down on the rim of the tub, Kikai then turned around and glared icily at Hideaki. "I leave you two alone for _one _minute and the little one almost drowns. Why weren't you watching her?"

"I—I was trying to close the curtains!" Hideaki explained pathetically. "I didn't think she'd get caught in the Jacuzzi!"

"_Monster_," Sachiko corrected. "There's a monster in the bathtub, Kikai-san! I don't think we should bathe here! It might try to eat us all!"

"…" Kikai and Hideaki gave the small girl looks of disbelief.

"What? It's true! I felt the monster grab my leg and it tried to pull me under! Hideaki, you believe me, don't you? You saw!"

Hideaki slapped a hand to her forehead.

Then, Kikai cleared her throat. "Anyway…" The blonde reached over and grabbed a nearby bottle of shampoo, squeezing a large portion into her hand before applying the soapy liquid onto Sachiko's wet, dark blue hair. "We don't have all night, so let's just wash up and go to bed as quickly as possible. Knowing that Tsu and his cronies are nearby puts me on edge."

"But he wouldn't attack us _now_, would he?" Hideaki asked nervously, looking around the room in slight paranoia. "I mean, we're completely naked and vulnerable right now! Any pervert could come in and take advantage of us! Well…maybe not you two," Hideaki said quickly, catching Kikai's annoyed look. "I mean, you two are living examples of Wonder Woman. But not me! They'll certainly try to take advantage of a beautiful, rich, intelligent, and physically inept girl like me!"

"What do you mean by that, Hideaki?" Sachiko asked innocently, wiping the soap away from her eyes as Kikai began to rinse the small girl's hair. "How would they take advantage of you? And what does physically in-epped mean?"

Silence.

"Sachiko?"

"Yes, Kikai-san?"

"…did your parents happen to be brother and sister?"

"Huh?"

"Never mind."

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

"You know, Goku…you're not really getting clean if you decide to eat messy food while you're trying to bathe at the same time."

"Mmm?" Goku looked up at Jiro, his cheeks bulging from mouthfuls of cherry pie. "Wha' cha mea', Hee-ro?" the large Saiyajin mumbled, accidentally spraying Jiro with bits of cherry and saliva.

"…SWALLOW, GOKU! SWALLOW, DAMN YOU!"

"Oops. Em' sorry, Hee-ro."

"Now, now, Jiro," Kargo chided mockingly, floating lazily on his back as he relaxed on the surface of the herbal water. "What Goku wants to do in the tub is his own business. Besides, he needs all the energy he can get for the big day tomorrow."

"Shut up!" Jiro snapped, furiously wiping off the cherry bits from his face. "I was talking to Goku, not you!"

"Well, forgive me for trying to steer the conversation towards a more pleasant direction!" Kargo sneered, lifting his head up so that he could glare angrily at the human teen. "You seemed to be awfully disrespectful of your _ancestor_ there, and I merely thought that you should—MMPH!" Without warning, the Namek boy suddenly found himself swallowing mouthfuls of hot, salty water as Jiro (who had moved so quickly that even Goku didn't notice the sudden movement) grabbed the front of Kargo's face and shoved his head under the surface of the bath.

"Say it again," Jiro hissed, holding Kargo's head firmly underwater as the Namek boy flailed and struggled to get to the surface. "Come on, freak! I _dare_ you to say it again. I don't think Goku heard you the last time."

"Blub…blub…" Kargo tried to scream his response, but it was muffled by the murky water and Jiro's hand.

"COME ON, FREAK! I DARE YOU TO SAY IT AGAIN!"

"_Jiro_! Get off of him!" Goku quickly treaded the water and pulled Jiro off of Kargo with one hand, using the other to get the half-drowned Namek boy to the surface. Kargo, whose eyes were red and bulging, coughed and sputtered for several minutes as he tried to get the water out of his lungs.

"What…the hell…is _wrong _with you?" Kargo gasped, grasping at Goku's arm as he stared at Jiro through wide, red-rimmed eyes. "You…you just tried to _kill _me, you sick lunatic!"

"I was going to let you go," Jiro argued, although he didn't seem too sure of that statement.

"Jiro…" Goku paused uncertainly. "Normally I try to stay out of your arguments, but honestly…this is getting too much. You guys can't even go five seconds without fighting! We can't afford any diversions right now—we have to find Tsu tomorrow, remember? Now, what on earth are you two arguing about?"

Jiro blinked. "You…you didn't hear the freak?"

"Is it really that hard to call him by his name?" Goku asked, sweatdropping.

"Yes."

"Bastard!" Kargo hissed.

"Oh, shut up greenbean! But back to the point at hand…Goku, you really didn't hear what the freak said fifteen seconds ago?"

Goku shook his head. "I was busy eating the rest of my cherry pie. I could really do with another slice, though," the large Saiyajin added thoughtfully. "I want another cherry pie. OOH! Maybe a peach one too! Do you think that room service is still open?"

"…" Jiro and Kargo (who finally managed to get the wind back into his lungs) stared at Goku incredulously. "You just had thirty pies in the last twenty minutes, Goku," Kargo said uneasily.

"But I'm still a _tad _hungry."

"You're always hungry!" Jiro retorted. "Hold it in, will ya? Besides, there's another breakfast buffet in the morning!"

"But I can't wait that long!" Goku whined, pouting in a very Sachiko-like manner.

"Try it! You're dead anyway—eleven hours of not eating won't kill you!"

"Actually," Kargo interrupted as he pulled his naked body onto the edge of the tub, "something similar happened to Sachi-chan once before, when she was still a baby. I was around three, and she was almost a year old. Taka-san was still a rookie in the police force, so she had really bad shifts. She would always leave Sachi-chan with me, my dad, and Goushi-sama at the Lookout, with bottles of baby formula and breast milk and whatnot…but once, she didn't leave enough bottles, and she was gone for almost a week. Sachiko was so upset…"

Kargo trailed off, his eyes misting over slightly. That had been such a long time ago. His father, Goushi, Sachiko, even Taka and Mr. Popo…they had all been together once.

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

**Nine years ago…**

"_Waaaaaah!"_

_The tiny baby wailed in her carrier, fussing and kicking off the blanket as she tossed the empty bottle of milk at Piccolo's head. The Namek yelped and instinctively ducked, just before the bottle sailed over his head and smashed onto the white wall behind him. _

"_That girl is not __**normal**__!" Piccolo cried, backing away from the screaming infant with something close to terror on his face. "Not even Taka hollered this much as a babe, and she was MORE than a handful!"_

"_All Muzai babies are handfuls, my friend." Goushi, who looked absolutely exhausted, picked up the small Sachiko and desperately tried to rock her in his arms in an attempt to lull her to sleep. "Please, child…__**please**__ go to sleep! Your mother will be back any minute now, with milk! But for now, you __**have**__ to go to sleep!"_

"_WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Baby Sachiko only wailed louder in response, before a tiny hand reached up and yanked fiercely on his beard._

"_OW!" The feudal priest yelped in pain, an act that suddenly made the baby shriek with laughter. "Oh, you little minx! OW! Piccolo, help! She won't let go! OW!"_

_Despite himself, Piccolo also found himself laughing. "Oh, god, Goushi…what did you expect? You cut off the poor baby's tail __**minutes**__ after she was born. And now, you're starving her. Surely she'd hold some resentment towards you for that?"_

"_It was necessary!" Goushi yelled, wincing through another vicious tug. "I will not have any signs of deforment in the shrine of Amaterasu! And anyway…you're supposed to be my goddamn friend! Whose side are you on? OW!" Goushi let out another cry of agony before he grasped Sachiko's tiny hand and, with some force, extracted her grip from his beard, sighing in relief when the pain immediately lessened. "It's about time!"_

"_!"_

"_Oh, for the love of Amaterasu…"_

_Watching all of this with wide, intrigued eyes was the three-year-old Kargo. Hiding in the corner of the room, behind the shadow of a door, he laughed softly at the panicked mannerisms of his normally calm and stern father, and the near breakdown human priest, Goushi Muzai. _

_He hadn't lived long in the world and he knew little of life beyond the Lookout, but he knew with a certainty that his father was close to the humans known as the Muzais. Goushi was particularly close to his father, as they had been born around the same time and had been exposed to one another since birth, due largely in part to their own fathers. Apparently, the connection between the Muzai family and his ancestors drew back to over a hundred years…_

_Taka Muzai was also close to his father, but she came around far less than Goushi did. Up to this point Kargo had actually only talked to her once—the rest of the time he was forced to hide in the background, sneaking glimpses of the human female that seemed to irritate his father and Goushi almost unendingly._

_He liked Taka. She was, to him, an interesting woman, even if his father and Goushi strongly disagreed._

_Kargo wasn't old enough to understand why, but for some reason, Taka always made his father sad. Though his father never actually expressed his sadness aloud, Kargo could always feel his father's energy drop whenever Taka came to the lookout, and at some points the older Namek would barely even look at the woman. On the other hand, Kargo always felt an angry aura around Goushi whenever Taka was mentioned, and when this new human female—the grown-ups called her a "baby"—entered the lives of the Muzai family, the anger from Goushi and the sadness of his father only seemed to magnify in intensity._

_And what was this about her having a tail? Kargo wanted to ask, but his father told him that such matters were of no importance, and that he should instead focus on his studies._

_But still…_

"_I think I can get Mr. Popo to make up a formula mixture for the baby," Piccolo grunted, as Sachiko tossed one of her toys straight at his head. "It may not be the same brand as the one Taka uses, but by god…we have to try __**something**, right?"_

"_Agreed." Goushi paled as the baby began to scream again, and dashed towards the kitchen as fast as his legs could carry him. "Mr. Popo! MR. POPO! Come and __**save**__ us, please!"_

"_Goushi, wait! Darn it…" Piccolo sighed and shook his head, before he walked after his human friend, closing the door behind him as he left._

_Kargo, not expecting to be left alone with the baby, tensed when the baby's cries only grew louder and more frantic at the realization of having been left to her own devices. Panicking slightly, his first reaction was to run out of the room, but right when his hand was about to reach for the doorknob, the baby suddenly made a strange noise._

"_Aaaaaaaaaa…"_

_The little Namek boy stopped in his tracks. Turning around slowly, he looked back at the carrier, where the baby was still sobbing, but was now squirming her body through the blankets and quilts. And he realized, with excitement, that the baby was __**looking**__ at him._

"_Aaaaaaaaa! Aaaaaaaaa!"_

_The baby made the strange noise again, and she sounded so sad that Kargo couldn't help but make his way over to the crib. The tiny infant, her gold eyes now Raggedy Ann wide, fixed Kargo with an open-mouthed stare, a silver strand of saliva spinning it's way down from her bottom lip to the ruffle of her white dress. She was, for several moments, motionless—frozen in fascination as she struggled to take him in, her eyes darting from his green face, to his pink muscles, to his chubby, clawed hands. _

_Kargo, who wasn't that much older, stared back, amazed at the paleness of a human baby's skin, and the tuft of dark hair that stuck out from the round, melon-like head. Tentatively, he reached out and stroked the baby's face, instantly amazed at the softness he found there._

_Suddenly, her decision made, a smile finally nudged itself to the corner of baby Sachiko's mouth, pushed across her lips and over her cheeks. Giggling, her small hands grasped at the Namek toddler's finger, and she quickly stuck the finger into her mouth as she tried to suckle from it. Kargo winced when he felt a slight nip—the baby only had one tooth, but it was being pressed right onto his finger…and it was quite sharp, too…_

"_Hey…it's quiet in here." Goushi and Piccolo cautiously poked their heads into the room, and their jaws hit the floor when they saw the tiny Sachiko quietly attempting to suckle from Kargo's finger. "Oh my goodness," Goushi murmured. "You got Sachiko to be quiet! You're a miracle worker!"_

_Kargo blinked, before he smiled. "I like the babee," he replied, his speech still restricted to the mannerisms of a three-year-old human child. "It's cute."_

"_Hmm…" Piccolo was silent, before he went over and pulled Kargo's finger from the baby's mouth. "That's enough of that," the older Namek mumbled. "Sachiko needs real food, not a non-nourishing finger."_

"_Oh. Okay." Kargo stared down at his suckled, slightly bleeding finger, before turning his gaze towards the baby, who was now eagerly suckling a new bottle of milk that Piccolo warily held in front of her face._

_The Namek toddler wasn't entirely sure if little Sachiko liked him…or if she just wanted to eat him. But from that point on, for reasons he didn't fully understand at the time, he tried his best to stay a little closer to her._

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

"Freak? _Freak_? HEY, FREAK!"

"Wha…?" The Namek boy jerked himself from his thoughts, only to discover that Goku and Jiro were standing outside of the bathtub, with fluffy white towels wrapped tightly around their waists.

"You spaced out for so long that we finished washing up while waiting for you," Jiro complained, while Goku munched on a new peach pie that had been sent down by disgruntled room service waiters. "Hurry up and get dry—I wanna hit the hay."

"Oh. Right." Kargo's hands clenched slightly, his thumb rubbing gently against the bitten finger. "Pass me a towel, Goku?"

"Sure!" Goku went over to the pile of towels and was about to pick one up…when he suddenly heard a rumbling coming from underneath the floor. He blinked at the ground, stepping away from the largest source of the rumbling. "What the…"

_BOOM!_

Debris, wood, and dirt flew all over the room, and Goku, Jiro, and Kargo all dove for cover as dust flew throughout the once clean bath. "What the fuck is going on?" Jiro yelled, covering his eyes and mouth to keep the dirt out.

"I don't know!" Goku replied, coughing as he spat out a bit of debris from his mouth. "Ick! I can't see anything!"

"Are we being attacked?" Kargo cried, quickly forming a yellow ki ball in his hand…only to drop it when he spotted a hunched over, wizen, and _very_ familiar looking outline through the dust. "M-master Roshi?"

"Eh?" The old turtle hermit, who had a shovel in his hand and a hardhat on his head, blinked at Kargo through his black shades. "What are you doing here, boy?" As the dust settled, Roshi's eyes suddenly descended on Goku and Jiro, neither of which looking too pleased on realizing who ruined their bath. "A-ah! Goku! Jiro! What a…err…_pleasant_ surprise!" The turtle hermit scratched the back of his head and laughed nervously. "So…I guess this isn't the women's part of the bathhouse, is it?"

Silence.

Then, there was a sound of two ki blasts going off, the sound of an old man screaming, and the exasperated cries of a middle-aged Saiyajin as he tried to break up the fight that ensued.

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

"Good morning, ladies and gentlemen!" Brunhilda greeted cheerfully, glancing at each one of the quarterfinalists while checking off their names on her clipboard. "Are you all rested and refreshed and revitalized with food?"

"Yup!" Sachiko nodded eagerly, while taking another bite of banana in addition to another mouthful of pancakes. That morning, she and Goku had (and were currently _still _having) their fills of the syrupy treats at the breakfast buffet—for some reason, no one would go _near _the pancakes, stating that they reminded them too much of waffles.

_I wonder what the problem is. Waffles are delicious too…_

"In a few short minutes," Brunhilda continued, "the ferry will take us all to Island 1, the granddaddy of Sentou Islands. Here, we have the Budokai stadium, which has the largest arena known to mankind! But you all have to get a quick physical examination first, so just go with one of the Budokai monks that you see on the pier, okay?"

"But what about all those other ferries out there?" Kikai asked, pointing to the other boats that were speeding rapidly towards Island 1. "What are they for? I thought that the only people on Island 1 were going be us fighters and whatever people we brought along."

"Oh, don't worry! Those are just the spectators."

Kargo tilted his head to the side curiously. "Spectators?"

"Yeah!" Brunhilda laughed. "You didn't think this was going to be a private affair, did you? People from all over the world come to see the Tenkaichi Budokai…it's an international event! Not to mention a televised one…"

And here, Jiro and Hideaki suddenly paled. "T-televised?" Hideaki stuttered, her skin rapidly approaching the color of skim milk. "A-are you serious, Brunhilda? But that means that people in West City will be able to see it!"

"Um…isn't that the general idea?" Brunhilda replied, sweatdropping.

"But our mother will know that we're here!" Jiro cried.

Brunhilda blinked at the young boy in confusion. "But she already knows you're here, Master Jiro, both her and your fiancée. Just yesterday, they called me up and barked orders at me to prepare a box seat for them. I would have told those two bitches to screw off—"

"Why DIDN'T you?" Jiro shrieked.

"—but then President Kutai came over and told me to do it anyway," Brunhilda finished, crossing her arms as she scowled at the Capsule Corps heir. "It's not my fault, Master Jiro. If you're going to be mad at someone, be mad at your father."

"Oh, goddamn it!" Jiro swore as he stomped off to the other side of the boat, while Hideaki collapsed in a chair beside Katsu, who soothingly rubbed her shoulders as he told her not to worry, that everything would work out in the end. Hideaki tensed slightly at his words and touch, but when he massaged a particularly knotted spot on her back, she instantly relaxed and forced her discomfort out of her mind.

Meanwhile, Kargo, Sachiko, and Goku were at the buffet table. Sachiko and Goku ravenously devoured everything edible on sight as Kargo sipped quietly at a glass of orange juice, all the while keeping a close eye on his father and the cloaked figure whom he guessed was Rei.

_Dad…_

While still clearly under control of the twisted Tsu and Rei, Kargo noted that the metal and wires on his father's cranium had been greatly reduced, now consisting of only a single strip of metal that curved from Piccolo's right eye to the end of his right cheek. The crazed and hateful look on his face was gone, replaced by a look of total indifference and ambiguity that actually made Kargo more tense and unsure. At least he knew what to expect from a fury-blinded Piccolo. An indifferent one would mean more unpredictability.

He turned his attention to the cloaked figure, and growled softly. Rei…that conniving, emotionless bitch. In all honesty, he hoped he would get paired up with _her_. After what she did to his father, there was no _way_ that he could let this go. He might have hated his old man, but he didn't deserve _this_…

Suddenly, a bit of buttered toast was slipped into his mouth. _What the hell?_ Chewing frantically, he looked around…only to be greeted with Sachiko's grinning face.

"It's good, isn't it?" Sachiko exclaimed. Kargo could only stare at her in shock. "Oh, don't look at me like that, Kargo-kun! You just looked so sad and upset that I had to get your mind off of whatever sad thing you were thinking about!"

"…" Kargo swallowed, before he gave the small girl an annoyed look. "Sachi-chan, please take this seriously. I mean, my dad is a freakin' robot thanks to that no good Tsu, rich boy and Hideaki might lose their company because of him, but you…you of all people should be the most upset right now!"

"I know." Sachiko grabbed a stack of pancakes, dunked it into a bowl of syrup, and swallowed it whole before chugging down a mug of juice. "But Kargo…what good is it to be upset? Except for turning Super Saiyajin, whenever I get angry, my fighting ability suffers."

"But Sachi—"

"I need to be calm to fight properly."

"Yes, but _Sachi_—"

"Besides, this could be our last day together! I don't wanna spend it being mad! I wanna spend it being happy with you!" Sachiko tossed the mug of juice aside and hugged Kargo tightly around the waist, her face buried against his chest. The Namek boy blushed hotly at this sudden, intimate contact, not even minding that syrup from Sachiko's face was staining his blue hoodie. However, he soon realized that the girl was trembling, and was breathing harshly.

Was she…was she trying not to cry?

"Sachi-chan…" The Namek boy tried to get her to look at him, but the small girl stubbornly tightened her grip on his body. Sighing, Kargo wrapped his arms around Sachiko and held her with as much fervor as she did with him. "Sachi…don't cry."

"I'm not crying," Sachiko mumbled, her response muffled slightly by the fact that her face was pressed against his chest.

"Listen…this isn't our last day. Goku's going to win."

"Uh-huh."

"Hey, you're the one who said we shouldn't be sad! You're supposed to cheer _me _up, remember? Come on…show me that smile!"

"Uh-huh." With a loud sniff, Sachiko quickly detached herself from Kargo, wiping her eyes furiously with her arm before she gave the Namek boy a wide grin. "Come on, Kargo-kun! Let's go eat some pancakes before Goku-san eats them all!"

"Sachi-chan!" Kargo whined. "You know Nameks don't have to eat!"

"No…but you _can _eat if you want to, right?"

"Well, yeah…but it's unnecessary Namekian weight gain."

"Kargo-kuuuuuuuun!"

"Oh, alright. One pancake, but that's it!"

"Heehee…"

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

"Welcome, fighters."

The monks bowed at the waist as the eight finalists made their way onto the pier. Sachiko grinned and immediately bowed back. Despite her being a follower of Shinto and them being worshippers of Buddha, they were all people of religion who believed in a higher divinity. The _form_ of said divinity might have differed between them, but the fact that they all believed in a god (or gods, in her case) made them respectable men in her eyes.

And it helped that they all looked like orange Santa Clauses.

A majority of the monks were fat, and all of them were bald and wearing the traditional orange and red outfits of their religion. However, a few were skinny, and one of these few was especially tall, tanned, and was standing at least a foot over his other brothers. And unlike his brothers, who was smiling at each fighter with kindness and geniality, this particular monk was scowling and was looking at everyone with narrowed eyes, especially whenever he had to move into the sunlight.

_Poor Mr. Monk_, Sachiko thought pitifully. _He must be allergic to the sun, like that guy I saw on the telly-vision a week ago. That must be terrible, not to be able to enjoy Lady Amaterasu's gift of sunlight…_

Suddenly, she felt a hand on her head, and looked up to see Kikai frowning at the monks. "Stay close," Kikai murmured softly, so that only Sachiko could hear her. "I'm getting a bad feeling about this place. I think Tsu might be nearby, or one of his bastard friends."

"Why?" Sachiko looked around. "I don't see any of them here, and I don't feel anything strange."

The blonde woman stared down at Sachiko with wide eyes. "Are you serious? Look around—even Hideaki knows that something's up."

"Really?" The small girl looked around and, sure enough, she saw that everyone looked to be on their guard. Goku, Kargo, and Jiro looked apprehensive, and Hideaki looked just plain scared, even with her boyfriend Katsu holding her hand. Even Piccolo and the cloaked Rei seemed tense, despite the two seemingly having no will of their own.

And Sachiko…felt nothing. The small girl frowned, trying to spot anything unusual in the area. There was the stadium…the examination booths…a tall building in the distance…and a bunch of people entering the stadium for seats. That was all. She didn't pick up any anomalies in the aura here—why did everyone else feel danger and she didn't?

Suddenly, the monks stepped forward, sheepherding the fighters off towards one of the eight booths set up for the physical examinations. A short, fat monk approached Kikai and smiled as he bowed to her. "Hello, Miss Ichihatsu," the monk greeted amiably. "If you'll please come with me, we'll begin your examinations."

"Uh-huh." Noting that Goku, Kargo, and Jiro were already being forced into separate booths, Kikai moved forward while holding Sachiko's hand, determined not to be separated. Unfortunately, the short, fat monk stopped her right in her tracks.

"Please forgive my intrusion," the monk said apologetically. "However, the examinations are one-on-one only. The little one will be examined by another one of my brothers."

The blonde woman scowled in displeasure. "I am not leaving this girl by herself. I wouldn't trust any of you chaste freaks as far as I can throw you."

"But—but ma'am—"

"Is there a problem?"

Kikai, Sachiko, and the short, fat monk looked up to see the tall, skinny, scowling monk heading towards them. Sachiko blinked when the man locked eyes with her for a moment, before he fixed his narrowed gaze onto Kikai.

"Ma'am, you'll have to give the child to me. I will perform the physical examination for her. Heh!" The tall, skinny monk suddenly laughed aloud, which invoked both shock and apprehension from both Sachiko and Kikai.

"Um, can't I stay with Kikai-san?" Sachiko asked hopefully, not wanting to be left alone. However, the short, fat monk shook his head.

"I'm sorry, but those are the new rules. Don't worry, it won't take more than a few minutes. Now Miss Kikai, would you please step this way?"

"But…Kikai-san…" Sachiko looked forlornly at the blonde woman as she argued hopelessly against the short monk. _Maybe_, Sachiko thought, _Kikai-san can convince him! Maybe I won't have to be alone, because I don't like to be alone! Maybe…_

However, that thought was quickly cut short—the tall, skinny monk had dragged her towards the final booth and pulled her inside, shutting the drapes behind them. Without even looking at her, he pointed to the sterilized seat in the middle of the room.

"Sit down, please," the tall, skinny monk said quietly. Sachiko, who was too nervous to protest, immediately obeyed, hauling her small body up to the large seat with some difficulty. The tall monk then took out a stethoscope and plugged the ends of the medical instrument into his ears, blowing onto the other end as he approached her with a stoic look. "Lift your shirt please, and let me listen to your chest."

"Uh…okay." Sachiko pulled the end of her white, oversized shirt upwards, and squealed when she felt the cold metal press against her skin. "Eeep! That's cold, Mr. Monk!"

"Oh. I'm sorry. But just hold still…I need to hear your heart."

"Oh, wow!" Sachiko exclaimed, her eyes widening as the monk listened carefully to her chest. "You can listen to someone's heart with that? I didn't know!"

"Really? Heh!" The monk laughed his strange laugh again, but this time he smiled as he took down some notes in a pad nearby. "Are you from the villages, child?"

"Yes, Mr. Monk," Sachiko chirped.

"You have my condolences."

Sachiko didn't know what condolences meant, but she nodded her head gratefully all the same. "Thank you, Mr. Monk."

The tall monk then pulled out a tongue depressor and checked her mouth, before pulling out a small, pen-sized flashlight to examine her eyes. "Huh. Your eyes…and what's this!" The monk's eyes widened when he saw Sachiko's tail, which the girl had accidentally unwrapped from her waist. Sachiko eeped and quickly rewrapped her tail, looking at the monk in horror as she expected a terrified reaction…but surprisingly, she saw that the man's gaze had actually softened. "I see," the monk muttered. "So it's true…"

"What's true?" Sachiko asked curiously, twisting her hands nervously on her lap.

"It's nothing." The monk put the flashlight away, and gave the small girl a smile. "Tell me child…why are you here? Such a little girl shouldn't be in a place like this."

Sachiko blinked. Well, this was unexpected. "It's…it's a private matter," she said slowly, rephrasing what Kikai told her to say in case she was asked questions like this. "It's personal."

"Heh!" The monk laughed again, and looked away from Sachiko. "She says it's personal?" he exclaimed, talking as if Sachiko wasn't even in the room with him. "Heh! If only she knew…Heh! Heh!"

"W-why are you laughing like that?" Sachiko asked nervously, backing away slightly from the giggling monk. "Y-you're scaring me!"

"Heh! She's scared now too! Heh! She's killed before, but she acts like an innocent! She is most certainly an anomaly…" And then, the monk turned back to Sachiko with a sickeningly sweet smile on his face. "The pre-cious ba-by," he cooed, coming towards her as Sachiko backed away. "The little pre-cious ba-by…you don't know anything about what's been going on, have you?" He reached out a hand and touched her hair, only to have it slapped away by the small girl.

"Leave me alone!" Sachiko yelled, running towards the exit…only to collide into something hard and solid. "Oh! Goku-san!" She looked up at the large Saiyajin, who was staring down at her with worry.

"What's wrong, Sachi-chan?" Goku asked, his voice wrought with concern. "I heard yelling all the way from _my _booth."

"It's Mr. Monk, Goku-san! He was laughing creepily and saying all these scary things to me!"

Goku blinked, and peered into the booth. "Who're you talking about, Sachi?"

"Mr. Monk! He's right…there…" Sachiko turned around, and immediately her words died in her throat.

No one was in the booth. Besides a used tongue depressor and a pad of written notes, there was no sign that anyone had been in the booth with Sachiko.

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

"_What are you doing, Blithe?"_

"_Forgive me, __**Master**__ Ke. I was simply…observing."_

"_I told you to stay out of this! You had no right to go near her!"_

"_And you have no right to go against the orders of our Lord! Master Ke, we were given specific orders—"_

"_I know my orders! Now follow yours!"_

"_But Master Ke…"_

"_Enough! I might be weakened at this moment, but don't think the others will approve of what you've done. Do you want me to break off our deal? I can send you right back to your little hut in the north, Blith…"_

"_N-no, Master Ke! I…I was acting rash. Please forgive me…"_

"_Good. Now, this is my last warning. Stay away from the girl unless I give you an order. Do I make myself clear?"_

"…_yes, Master Ke."_

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

**TURMOIL: Okay, so I lied. The fighting takes place in the next chapter.**

**Kargo: (Twitches) And this, dear readers, is why TURMOIL stated that her chapters run longer than they should.**

**Sachiko: (Shivers) Blith is scary. I don't like him!**

**Jiro: And what the HELL? Is he insane or what? Why the hell did you even put him in the story?  
**

**TURMOIL: I'd answer, but I like not being beaten up by you. And anyway it's not about what you want, Jiro dear. It's about the readers. Such as your upcoming match with Sachiko.**

**Jiro: WHAT? I-I'm not slotted against Sachiko!  
**

**TURMOIL: Not yet, anyway. Of course, that's provided you get past Goku in your first match.**

**Kargo: Which will NEVER happen!**

**TURMOIL: ****Never say never, green one! Who knows? If by some evil, unthinkable, conniving twist of fate that Goku loses against Jiro, he'll be slotted to fight Sachiko.**

**Jiro: …**

**Kargo: …**

**Sachiko: Cool! Sounds like fun!**

**Kargo: NO IT DOESN'T! That's a total Goku and Vegeta moment!**

**TURMOIL: (Grins) I know, right?**

**Kargo: (Pales) You mean…you're not seriously going to…oh god…**

**TURMOIL: Anyhoo…read and review, meh dears!**


	51. False Exoneration

Sachiko: TURMOIL-san does not own the Dragonball universe, although she hopes to one day find the dragonballs and wish for that to happen!

TURMOIL: Well, I've been busy the last few weeks. I still am, actually, but I've got this brief window of opportunity to write a chapter and I've GOT to use it.

Sachiko: (Nods enthusiastically) Yup!

TURMOIL: In this chapter, there is a reference to Misa Amane from the series, _Death Note_. Why? Because I liked Misa and feel that I should tribute her in a small, miniscule way.

Kargo: But Misa was a villain. Why would you like her?

TURMOIL: Well…it's more like a pity thing than anything else. Now…as a bonus…I've only just realized that it's been almost 3 years since this story began. I mean, WOW. I've never worked on a single fic for such a long time. This outstrips my _Paranoia Agent _story in terms of length, time, and love for the characters.

Kargo: Aw…you love us?

TURMOIL: …ANYWAY! Let's look back a bit, shall we? We've laughed…

Sachiko: (Giggles) Teeheehee!

TURMOIL: We've cried…

Kargo: (Sniffs)…she just totally brushed me off, didn't she?

Jiro: Yup.

TURMOIL: And we've had countless numbers of black-haired, blue-eyed young men devoured by the Bloodthirsty Squirrelly-Squirrel, my finest creation.

Black-Haired, Blue-Eyed Male Audience Members: AAAAAAAAAAAGGGH! (Runs from Bloodthirsty Squirrelly-Squirrel)

TURMOIL: But sadly…this is the end. No more Rebirth of the Dragon. I'm cancelling the whole shebang for good this time. I've lost interest. Sorry everyone.

Kargo: …

Jiro: …

Sachiko: …WAAAAAAAAAAAAH!

TURMOIL: (Tries not to laugh) Heh…heh…HAHAHAHAH! FOOLED YA! I can't believe you hoochies! I was just kidding! You'd actually believe I'd so something like that? Hahahaha!

Jiro: (In disbelief) You—you bitch! April Fools' Day was ELEVEN DAYS AGO!

TURMOIL: Alright. So I'm a little late. But better late than never, right?

Kargo: …

Jiro: …

Sachiko: You're mean.

_**Chapter Fifty-One: False Exoneration**_

"I knew I shouldn't have left her alone," Kikai muttered furiously, clenching her robotic hand tightly as she and Goku quietly followed the others towards the Budokai stadium. "This entire island is just one giant death trap."

"I guess." Goku hesitated for a moment, before he gave the blonde woman an uneasy look. "Listen…I know you're worried about her and all—"

"I'm not."

"And," Goku went on, "I know that you and the others are just thinking of her safety. But is it really necessary for us to follow Sachi-chan everywhere? You've even followed her into the bathroom, for crying out loud…"

"…"

After Sachiko's incident with the strange (and now clearly unhinged) monk, everyone refused to let her out of their sight. They had never, _ever_ anticipated that Tsu would try to corner the small girl outside the actual Budokai fights, nor did they expect one of his men to disguise themselves as a monk in order to get close to her. But the attempt had been made, the monk had seemingly vanished into thin air, and no one could do anything other than stay on guard for another attack.

It certainly didn't help that many of the policemen who patrolled Island 1 were wielding the devastating energy blasters, the same weapons that had decimated many of the feudal villages and had almost caused the end of Kargo, Jiro, and Hideaki in South City. There was no question that the policemen were involved with the officers who attacked them before—even after hearing Sachiko's complaints about the strange monk, the policemen would brush her off and ignore her, doing absolutely nothing to find her would-be stalker.

Brunhilda had apologized on their behalf, and had promised to do whatever she and her Men in Black could to find the monk. But as an announcer woman, they all knew that there was actually very little she could do, even with the help of the Men in Black.

There were absolutely no safe zones on the entire island. It was now obvious that they had underestimated Tsu—the old man was proving to be more diabolical and daring than they had ever imagined, and this angered Kikai more than anyone else.

"You didn't know that Tsu would send one of his men in disguise," Goku argued, trying to calm the blonde woman down. "And to be honest, I didn't think the _monks _would try to do anything to her! All of their energy levels were low, and they seemed friendly enough…"

Kikai growled. "Just stop talking, Goku. Tsu's got the advantage here, not us. That means we can't trust _anyone_." The blonde woman sighed, and rubbed her temples. "This place is just filled to the brim with lunatics. Regulations and rules, my ass…"

"But all of this will end when we win," Goku piped up, giving Kikai a grin. "We just have to keep an eye on the kids and make sure that nothing happens to them, that's all. The new Piccolo and that Rei woman aren't that hard to beat, and Tsu promised to cooperate with us if we won."

"I suppose." The blonde woman looked ahead, where the others laughed and joked quietly to one another. She forced herself to believe that Goku was right, that everything would end once they won this ridiculous tournament. Tsu would be defeated, they'd get the dragonballs back, and things would go back to the way they once were.

But still…she couldn't shake off the feeling that something dangerous was around the corner, and she couldn't help but feel that merely winning the tournament wouldn't bring an end to the nightmarish situation that everyone found themselves in. To put it simply, she just didn't trust Tsu or his insipid little promise. Tsu was the last person she would have any faith in, come hell or high water.

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

"And you're _sure _he didn't harm you?" Kargo asked worriedly, sticking close to Sachiko;s side.

"Because if he did, I can kick that bald monk's ass for you," Jiro added, walking along Sachiko's other side just as closely.

Sachiko smiled. "I'm fine," she insisted. "He was scary, but he didn't really do anything. He was saying some things I didn't understand, and he kept laughing in a creepy way, but he didn't hurt me." The small girl then paused, and pursed her lips in annoyance. "I don't think I want to see Mr. Monk again, though. He's not a very nice person."

"Well, _duh_!" Hideaki exclaimed, dragging Katsu along as she walked beside the three youths. "Sachiko-chan, encounters with crazy people should be _far _from nice! Ugh! Sometimes I wonder what's wrong with that head of yours."

"There's something wrong with my head?" Sachiko blinked, before she turned to Kargo and Jiro with a worried look. "Guys, what's the matter with my head? Is there something on it?"

"…"

"…"

"Oh, Sachiko." Hideaki shook her head in despair. "I really worry about you at times."

"But she does provide amusing entertainment, Miss Kutai," Katsu remarked, linking his arm with Hideaki's. "And really…do consider that she's still a little girl. Surely she does have limits?"

"Limits? Err…" Hideaki paused, staring at her boyfriend with uncertain eyes. "Well," she began slowly, "everyone has limits, Katsu-kun. Sachiko-chan wouldn't be any different, right? I mean, her size and age would be obvious hindrances."

"Of course, Miss Kutai," Katsu agreed cheerfully. "Those are the obvious setbacks the girl must face. I hope that she can indeed beat Rei and that strange green man should the time come."

"Yeah…" Hideaki averted her gaze, trying to keep her body from tensing. There it was; that feeling of distress and tension. This was more than strange; she was sure of it by now. Something wasn't right, she could _feel _it…but she couldn't act on it, not when she didn't have any idea of why she felt so _off_.

_Oh goddamit…what's going on with me? Am I going crazy?_

"You must forgive me," Katsu said suddenly, his voice low and solemn. Hideaki turned and saw that the young man's eyes were downcast. "I feel partially responsible for Dr. Rei. I never dreamed she would be capable of doing what she did to us. And to think, I sent her to deliver the microchip to you in South City! I would never have thought she'd be the traitor in the company."

Hideaki frowned, and clenched her hands. "Neither did I."

"Developing weapons under our noses, killing the innocent…and she knows about the dragonballs too!" Katsu looked up, and gave Hideaki a worried stare. "Miss Kutai, what if she tries to use them against us? You told me that the dragonballs have the ability to grant people's wishes, am I right?"

"Did I? I don't remember telling you that…"

"What if Dr. Rei tries to wish for world domination, or immortality?" The young, brown-haired man gave her a worried look. "Can she do that, Hideaki? Is Dr. Rei able to make wishes such as these?"

_Boy, you're suddenly a curious little chatterbox today… _"I'm not sure," the young woman replied testily, becoming more and more uncomfortable by the minute. "And anyway, she needs all seven dragonballs to even make a wish. So far, she only has six. We have the last dragonball."

"Really?" Katsu's eyes gleamed with interest, which only served to make Hideaki more nervous. "That's good then! It'll prevent Rei and those dastardly partners of hers from making catastrophic wishes! Do you have it with you right now, Miss Kutai?"

"N-no…" Slightly frantic and unable to stand his touch any longer, she pulled her arm out of Katsu's and scurried ahead to join Sachiko, Kargo, and Jiro.

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

"WOW! This is where we're gonna fight?"

"Yes, Sachiko-chan," Hideaki answered, patting the little girl on the head. "This is it."

Sachiko looked all around her in wonder, marveled at how the Tenkaichi Budokai stadium completely dwarfed the Shigaisen stadium in comparison. From the large, white stone arena to the thousands of spectators who were now filling up the rows of seemingly endless amount of seats, Sachiko felt tiny, miniscule, and overwhelmed with excitement, anticipation, and high expectations.

She liked this feeling. She liked it a lot.

"I've always wanted to come here," Jiro remarked casually, crossing his arms as he leaned against a nearby wall. "Mom wouldn't let me go _near _any Tenkaichi Budokai tournaments when I was younger. She thinks that fighting is stupid and a waste of time, so it always pissed her off to see me training so much instead of studying."

"And yet here you are, as one of the eight final contestants," Kargo commented dryly. "Probably one of the most rebellious things you've ever done against your mother, I bet." The Namek boy then snorted. "You're such a mama's boy."

An ugly scowl suddenly made its way through Jiro's handsome face. "Why don't you say that again real close, freak?" the human teen said through gritted teeth. "I'm sure that my fists would love a word with you…"

"Guys, don't do this now!" Sachiko cried, pushing her way in between the two clearly agitated boys. "We have to save our energy for the fights! We might have to fight Piccolo-san or Rei first, and we'll need all of our strength to beat them!"

"She's got a point, little brother!" Hideaki agreed, grabbing Jiro's arm in an attempt to hold him back. "Seriously, if you two _kill _each other before the tournament even begins, then what the hell was the point of training for six weeks?"

"But the freak started it!" Jiro retorted, ignoring Kargo's venomous stare as he yanked his arm out of Hideaki's grasp. "He insulted me, sis! What the hell am I supposed to do, say nothing like a goddamn pussy?"

"It'll make things a whole lot quieter!"

"SIS!" Jiro gave his sister a look of absolute shock. "You—you can't mean that!"

"Well…"

"YOU TRAITOR!"

"Oh, come on Jiro-kun! All I'm asking is that you hold your tongue for two seconds for once in your life!"

"I CAN'T BELIEVE THIS! MY OWN SISTER!"

"You wanna head over to that table of food on the other side of the stadium, Sachi-chan?" Kargo whispered to Sachiko, who quickly nodded and moved away from the bickering siblings. Running into Kikai and Goku, the two youths quickly shook their heads when the adults gave them questioning glances, and pulled them away from the fighting pair. "Trust me," Kargo explained quietly. "It's better not to interfere with Kutai family arguments."

"Huh? But…don't we have to pick out our numbers?" Goku asked, his voice filled to the brim with confusion. "How do we know who's going to go first?"

At this, Kikai sighed, and pointed to the large television screens that were placed all over the stadium. "It's the same as the preliminaries, Goku," the blonde woman replied in a bored voice. "The computer randomly matches up the fighters, and then our pictures appear on the screen to indicate the order of the upcoming fights. But it's only for the first couple of rounds. After that, the winner of the first fight competes against the winner of the second fight, and so on…"

"Oh." Goku blinked, before he frowned. "Wouldn't it be easier to just draw numbers if they're going to do it that way?"

"Just go along with it, would you? Be prepared for anything! For all we know, the first fight could be one against Rei or Piccolo, or even between—"

Suddenly, the television screens flickered on. A white background suddenly flashed before the eyes of the participants, and two pictures suddenly appeared on the screen, where the pair was connected by a single black line.

Sachiko's picture appeared on the right side of the screen. Katsu's picture appeared on the left.

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

"Come sit by me, Rosa. It's a bit cleaner around here than in those cheap seats."

"Like, thanks, Mrs. Kutai!"

"Please, call me mother. And I must say…you look so unique today!"

Rosa swept the bottom of her Gothic Lolita dress aside as she sat down, and flicked back her now blonde hair. "I'm, like, totally glad you think so, _mom_. This is totally the newest fashion that supermodel-actress-Vidwatch-spokeswoman MoshiMoshi is supporting now! It's all about the 'Blonde Gothic Lolita' look!"

"Really?" Mrs. Kutai touched her own blonde hair, and looked at Rosa thoughtfully. "I thought the 'Red' look was still popular."

"Oh, NO! It's, like, totally out now! Like, no self-respecting person would be caught dead in red! MoshiMoshi totally said so! I heard that she's totally here in the stadium today, and she's going to, like, promote the newest model of Vidwatches!"

"Ah. Well, onto business, my dear! Can you see my son from here, Rosa?"

"Oh! Like, no I don't, Mrs. Kutai!" Rosa pulled out a pair of high-powered binoculars and looked through the eyepieces as she searched high and low for her beloved fiancé. "This is, like, totally unfair! It's bad enough that Jiji, like, totally drugged me back at that peasant village! Now he's, like, totally hanging out with these sorts of trashy lots!"

Mrs. Kutai frowned, and sat back in her seat with her arms crossed. "It's probably all thanks to that no-good miko child and that green freak friend of hers!" she hissed, scowling so much that she marred her usually attractive facial features. "Oh, just wait until I get my hands on that boy! I'll give him a good scolding, and then I'll make sure he never sees that filthy girl ever again!"

"I, like, totally agree! But…" Rosa suddenly frowned, lowering her binoculars. "I wish that, like, we could actually go backstage to find him! Those stupid policemen won't, like, let anyone back there except for the fighters!"

"We will have to wait, Rosa. This disgusting tournament won't last forever. Jiro will have to face us sometime…"

"I guess. But, like, when's Mr. Kutai going to be here? He's been, like, totally busy with work for, like, forever now."

"Oh, I don't know, Rosa dear. He said that he'd be here when he could. Lately he's had to handle something at the company and wouldn't come home until the early hours of the morning…but as long as he isn't doing something stupid like losing all of our money, then I'm perfectly fine with that!"

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

Brunhilda smiled at the six fighters in front of her. "Alright then. Miss Sachiko, Mr. Katsu, just wait for me to give the signal to introduce you, okay?"

"Um…" Sachiko, who was holding Goku's hand, looked around the area nervously. "Brunhilda-san, where's Piccolo-san and Rei? They're not here yet."

"Hmm?" The dark blonde woman looked around, and frowned. "Well, their matches aren't scheduled for a while, so it's not a problem…for now. But if they don't show up when it's their turn to fight, then they'll automatically be disqualified."

Sachiko nodded solemnly. "I see."

"Well, get ready! And wish me luck!"

"Good luck, Brunhilda!" Goku chirped cheerfully.

"Thanks! Now…" Brunhilda took a deep breath, before she strolled out onto the arena. "WELCOME LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, TO THE EVENT YOU'VE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR! I'M BRUNHILDA A. NOUNCER, AND I'LL BE YOUR HOST FOR THE 175TH TENKAICHI BUDOKAI!"

The crowd exploded into cheers while signs and banners supporting various martial artists were propped upward into the air. Those at home who had watched the preliminaries had been amazed at the prospect of three young children making it to the final eight, and many had bought last minute tickets in order to see the children for themselves. The audience had already picked their favorites, and made no efforts to hide their opinions as the television screens showed ongoing scans of the crowds.

"11…12…" Jiro counted the banners and signs, and grinned when he totaled the results. "Hey freak, check it out! I found eighty signs that support Goku, a hundred banners that support the Bionic Bitch, ninty-seven banners and three signs that support me, and…_none _that support _you_!"

"Shaddap, rich boy!" Kargo snapped, flipping the human teen off. "And for your information, you're not looking hard enough. I saw two for me already."

"From _who_? The Ugly and Desperate Women With A Fetish For Green Club?"

"Why you son-of-a—"

"Are there any for me?" Sachiko piped up, hugging Kargo from behind as she searched for her own banners. However, the Namek boy couldn't answer—his brain was off in La-La Land due to the sudden intimate contact.

"BEFORE WE BEGIN," Brunhilda shouted loudly, "WE'D LIKE TO GIVE A HELLO TO OUT DEAR SPONSER, YUJI KUTAI, WHO IS SITTING UP IN THE BOX SEATS WITH OUR SECOND ANNOUNCER, KE!"

"Ke?" Sachiko's eyes widened and Kargo snapped out of his delirious state. They stared hard at one of the many large television screens stationed all over the stadium, all of which lit up to reveal a shot of President Kutai sitting next to a young boy in the front stage, one who was dressed in a black suit, had shaggy black hair that completely covered his eyes, and had on a black baseball cap that was tilted so that half of his face was shadowed.

"H-hey there everybody!" President Kutai stammered nervously, a shaky grin forcing its way onto his face as Ke held a microphone in front of him. "I-it is my pleasure to be the primary sponsor for this year's Tenkaichi Budokai! I-I was once a participant, to tell you the truth…"

"Yes, they say you did quite well, sir!" Ke commented kindly, his lips curving into a small smile. "But you lost to Goushi Muzai in the final round, did you not? I hear his granddaughter is one of the final eight contestants, as well as your son."

"WHAT?" President Kutai balked, his face quickly paling to the color of skim milk. "They're here? My son and Miss Sachiko are HERE, fighting in this tournament? Why, for the love of the gods? ARE THEY TRYING TO GET KILLED?"

"…"

Silence. The audience stared at the television screens with astonished looks on their faces, until President Kutai finally managed to pull himself together. "F-forgive me…I wish the two of them the best. Déjà vu, right my boy?"

"YUJI!" Suddenly, Mrs. Kutai appeared on screen, causing both Hideaki and Jiro to blanch in fear. "YOU BASTARD! YOU HAD GOOD SEATS AND YOU KEPT THEM TO YOURSELF?"

"N-now Miyuki…"

Ke sweatdropped. "Um, okaaaay…" The young boy turned his gaze at the screen and laughed nervously as he tried to ignore the couple fighting behind him. "Well, Brunhilda, back to you."

"…yeah." Brunhilda coughed nervously, before she faced the still stunned crowds, and put her game face back on. "ANYWAY! Before I introduce the first two fighters, I have a minor note from the police force. Apparently, several boys with back hair and blue eyes have gone missing all over the islands. If you have any information as to the whereabouts of these gentlemen, please do not hesitate to report to the police about it. Thank you!"

"Black hair and blue eyes, huh?" Kikai stared at Jiro, before a smirk tugged the corners of her lips. "That's interesting…"

"And now, let's introduce the two fighters who'll be battling it out in the first match of the first round! Give a warm welcome to Sachiko Muzai and Katsu Noh!"

The crowds cheered sincerely as the two contestants made their way to the arena. Katsu blushed and kept his head low in embarrassment, while Sachiko happily made her way onto the large stone ring, her tail tightening around her waist in excitement.

Brunhilda stuck the microphone under Katsu's nose, and gave the young man a grin. "Mr. Noh! This is your first time here, am I correct? How are you finding the experience?"

"…it's all surprisingly intriguing," Katsu mumbled, trying to avoid the microphone. "Maybe I'll come again for the next tourney? It's definitely a new experience for me."

"And I'm sure it is. So, Miss Sachiko!" Brunhilda turned her microphone to face the small girl. "What have you been doing since you, Kargo, and Master Jiro won the Shigaisen Brawl-Out?"

"It's been in-tah-rest-ting, Brunhilda-san!" Sachiko chirped. "First we went to South City, and I met my old friend Ke-kun!"

"You know Ke?" Brunhilda asked, surprised.

"Yup! He's one of my friends! I love him so much…"

"WHAT?" Kargo and Jiro suddenly powered up in fury, causing several of the surrounding monks, policemen, and Men in Black to back away slightly. Amazingly, neither Brunhilda nor Sachiko noticed this, and they continued on as if nothing happened.

"What else did you do?" Brunhilda went on, smiling gently at the little girl.

"Well, then I met Kikai-san. She's really very nice—" here, Kikai snorted "—and then I met Master Roshi who always wears a turtle shell and likes to touch boobies. I think he's funny, but Hideaki-chan and Kikai-san don't seem to like him very much. And then me and Jiro went to this BIG castle to get a box, but we lost the box and I don't know what happened to what was inside." (Here, Jiro coughed nervously and dug his hands into his pockets.) "Then this icky man named Tsu came along tried to hurt us, but then Goku-san came to rescue me and he SAVED us all!"

"How heroic!" Brunhilda commented, giving Goku a wink and a thumbs-up. The large Saiyajin laughed and scratched the back of his head in embarrassment.

"And then we had to come here because of a lot of things that Kargo-kun and Kikai-san told me not to mention to people out loud. So…HERE I AM!"

"…wow." The dark blonde announcer woman blinked. "You've been very busy these last few months, Miss Sachiko."

"Thank you!"

Kargo, Jiro, and Hideaki's eyes all twitched simultaneously. "That had to be the _worst _description of the past few months ever uttered from a person's lips," Jiro croaked, his body twitching every few seconds.

"Words…can't…describe it," Kargo groaned, hanging his head as Sachiko and Katsu each walked to separate areas of the arena and struck defensive poses.

Hideaki said nothing. Though she was also twitching like the two boys, she was also very, _very _worried about the match. _Sachiko and Katsu…why? If the tournament is rigged, why even bother letting Katsu come this far? And even if this is some part of Tsu's evil diabolical plan, what's the point of pairing them up like this for the first round?_

"READY?" Brunhilda shouted, backing to the edge of the arena as the drums began to beat in the background. "Let the first match of the first round begin! Fighters, are you ready? Are you set? FIGHT!"

"HYYYYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Katsu let out a war cry as he charged at Sachiko with surprising speed. Sachiko barely had time to blink before she swung to the left, dodging his fist from plowing the side of her head. The small girl dodge-rolled to the side, keeping low to the ground as she aimed a low sweeping kick at his shins.

Katsu managed to jump over her kick and aimed another punch at her face. Sachiko grabbed his fists and pulled the young man to the ground, creating a struggle between the two of them as they struggled back and forth for control.

"Come on, Sachi-chan!" Goku cheered from the sidelines. "You can beat him! I know you can!"

Sachiko had to resist the urge to make a face. _Easy for you to say, Goku-san! Katsu is much stronger than I originally thought! I don't want to have to hurt him, but…_

As if realizing the break in his opponent's concentration, Katsu suddenly swung his knee into Sachiko's stomach, making the small girl gasp in pain and consequentially loosen her grip on his fists. Katsu then threw another punch at her, which Sachiko only barely managed to block. He then leapt back and sent a kick at Sachiko's gut, which connected this time, and sent the small girl crashing onto her back at the very edge of the ring.

"EEEEEK! Sachiko!" Kargo, Jiro, Goku, Hideaki, and Kikai all stared at the scene in astonishment. She couldn't lose like this! Not in the very first round against _Katsu_!

Katsu, grinning triumphantly, charged towards Sachiko, determined to push her out of bounds. As he stood above her, about to deliver the final kick, Sachiko suddenly grabbed the young man by the arms and, swinging her legs upwards, hurled Katsu over her head and onto the green grass outside the ring.

"OUT OF BOUNDS!" Brunhilda shouted, as the crowds cheered in both excitement and astonishment at seeing who the winner was. "SACHIKO MUZAI IS THE WINNER OF THE FIRST MATCH!"

"Yay!" Sachiko rose to her feet, grinning as Brunhilda came over and raised one of her arms in the air.

"Alright, Sachi-chan!" Goku ran onto the ring and hugged her hard. "You did it! You scared me for a second there, but you did it!"

"Teeheehee! Goku-san, leggo!" Giggling as she wiggled out of her ancestor's hold, she turned around to see if Katsu was alright, grinning when she saw him climbing back onto the ring with a defeated but cheerful expression on his face.

"Miss Sachiko…" The young man bowed to her in respect. "You are truly stronger than I ever anticipated. I am honored to have fought against you."

Sachiko blushed in embarrassment. "Aw, you don't have to say things like that."

"No, I must! You see, I—" Katsu suddenly stopped.

A large, black hole had appeared out of nowhere underneath his feet, and before anyone could realize what was happening, Katsu fell through the hole, screaming as he literally disappeared underneath the ring. Too late, Sachiko and Goku tried to dive in after him, but the hole closed up as quickly as it had appeared, leaving not even a trace of the young man behind.

For a moment, no one, not even the crowd, was able to speak.

Then, Hideaki screamed. "KATSUUUUUUU!"

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

**TURMOIL: Wow, this chapter is definitely my all time low. What'cha guys think?**

**Kargo: …**

**Jiro: …**

**Sachiko: …**

**TURMOIL: Oh come on. Are you guys still mad?**

**Kargo: …**

**Jiro: …**

**Sachiko: …you're still mean, TURMOIL-san.  
**

**TURMOIL: You guys are so SENSETIVE! I mean really, not even my employees bitch as much as you guys do!**

**Jiro: What the…you don't have any employees! You're still a student!**

**TURMOIL: Ah! 'Tis the power of the "Wind-Down" corner, me dearest Jiro-kun. Here, anything can happen with the click of a mouse pad. Or the press of a keyboard. Care to try me…?**

**Jiro: NO! NO! I believe you, okay?**

**TURMOIL: Goodie.**

**Employee #1: (Crawls towards TURMOIL, with a pale, sickly look on his face) TURMOIL-san…could I please have some water? I think I'm…dying.**

**TURMOIL: Bah! It's always a complaint from the lot of you! "TURMOIL-san, I'm **_**hungry**_**! TURMOIL-san, I'm **_**thirsty**_**! TURMOIL-san, there's a Bloodthirsty Squirrelly-Squirrel trying to gnaw off my **_**limbs**_**…!"**

**Employee #1: But—but—**

**TURMOIL: Get back to work! And if I hear one more peep out of you, kiss your two square meals a day good-bye, ya hear me?**

**Employee #1: Yes, ma'am…**

**Sachiko: …**

**Kargo: …**

**Jiro: …oh gods, we're going to die here, aren't we?**


	52. Consequence of Failure

Kargo: Our author does not own Dragonball or any related franchise that stems from it.

Jiro: Well, from this point on, I would just like to express my hatred towards our so called author—

Sachiko: OBJECTION!

Kargo: Eh?

Sachiko: Sorry, Kargo-kun! But TURMOIL-san had just brought this new game of _Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney_ and she's been hooked on it for a really long time now. She got me hooked too! I like it when the people shout "OBJECTION!"

Jiro: Oh great. Another thing for her to obsess about.

Sachiko: OBJECTION! (Cracks whip)

Jiro: (Frightened) YAAAAAAAAAAAH! Sachiko, where the hell did you get a giant whip?

Sachiko: Hmm? Oh, TURMOIL-san gave it to me! One of the Phoenix Wright characters uses a whip all the time! Isn't it pretty?

Kargo: (Pales) Pretty isn't the word I'd use, Sachi-chan…

Sachiko: HYAH! HYAH! (Nearly snaps a steel chair in two) Teehee! This is fun!

Jiro: (Laughs nervously) Ah, Sachiko? Why don't you put that thing down? That thing can be potentially… (Watches whip snap at floor and leave a large mark) ...lethal.

Kargo: (Equally nervous) Um, for once I agree with rich boy. You could seriously maim-slash-kill somebody with that. Namely us.

Sachiko: OBJECTION! I like my pretty black whip. Besides, you guys don't have to worry about being injured! I have it all under control! (Snaps whip again, nearly chopping off Jiro's feet)

Jiro: AAAAAAAAACK! Sachiko, put that goddamn thing AWAY!

Sachiko: OBJECT—

Jiro: And stop saying "OBJECTION!" You don't even know what that word means!

Sachiko: Yes I do! It is a feeling or expression of opposition to a certain situation presented by another party!

Kargo: …

Jiro: …

Kargo: She got you there, rich boy.

Jiro: …shut up, freak.

_**Chapter Fifty-Two: Consequence of Failure**_

"We are _not_ going back to that ring! You can't make us!"

Jiro glared angrily at Brunhilda, stubbornly refusing to get up from the sofa in the Fighter Lounge as the dark blonde woman begged and pleaded with the young boy to return to the arena. Next to him was Sachiko, who was trembling in fear as she clung tightly onto Jiro and Kargo's hands.

"What happened to Katsu-san?" Sachiko asked pathetically, lifting her terrified eyes to Kargo's worried ones as she tightened her grip on his hand. "H-he just disappeared! He disappeared into that hole in the ring! Where is he? Where is he, Kargo-kun?"

"I…I don't know," the Namek boy replied hesitatingly, which only earned him a mournful wail from the small girl sitting beside him.

"Miss Sachiko, please calm down!" Brunhilda begged, bending down in front of the distraught little girl as she tried to think of some way to calm her. "I'm sure Mr. Noh is alright! Mr. Son and the other grown-ups will probably find him any minute now!"

"Then where did he go?" Jiro snapped, his lips pulled back into a snarl as he stared down unpleasantly at the increasingly uncomfortable announcer woman. "No one mentioned a black hole appearing out of nowhere in that goddamn arena! What the hell's that about, anyway? Are you in with this Tsu creep too, Brunhilda? You trying to do us in, woman?"

"No, Master Jiro!" Brunhilda cried, looking more and more beaten down by the second. "I don't know who this Tsu is! Please believe me when I say that I had no idea this would happen! Neither did the Men in Black! If we knew, we would have definitely told you about randomly appearing black holes that shouldn't even be physically capable of appearing on earth!"

Kargo snorted, and pulled the still sobbing Sachiko into his arms for a hug. "You'll forgive us if we don't believe you," he sneered sarcastically. "Frankly, this whole tournament's been one giant mind trap after another! How do we know you're not lying through your teeth this very second?"

"Waaaah…" The dark blonde announcer woman fell to her knees and broke out into tears. "I don't know what more I can say…"

"She's not lying, you know," a voice said suddenly, causing Sachiko, Kargo, and Jiro to look up at the speaker. "The fool really didn't know what was going to happen."

Time seemed to stop right then and there. Each one of the three children felt the blood in their veins turn to ice when their eyes landed on a disturbingly familiar, eternally smiling masked man who was standing calmly by the doorway to the Fighter Lounge. With his gaze completely fixated on Sachiko, he slowly made his way towards the three youths, rudely shoving Brunhilda to the side as he bent down in front of the trembling little girl. "Why so frightened, child?" he murmured, the corners of his lips twitching downwards as he took note of Sachiko's refusal to meet him in the eye. "I've wanted to talk to you for so long…"

"Excuse me?" Brunhilda raised a brow at the old master's actions and pulled him away from the children by the arm as she gave him a harsh look. "Look mister, I don't know who you are, but I will not allow you to harass a Budokai participant like this! I'll have my men throw you out if I have to! Now, who are you?"

"Little woman, learn your place," the old master said calmly, completely unfazed by the dark blonde announcer's attempts at threatening him. "If you don't shut that mouth of yours, you might end up having a little 'accident' in the near future, Ms. Brunhilda A. Nouncer."

"WHAT?" Brunhilda stared at Tsu in shock. "Just—just what are you implying? Who do you think you are? I am the official announcer of this tournament and I _know_ that you do not have the authority to be back here with these fighters—"

Suddenly, Tsu reached inside his pants pocket and pulled out a small card, shoving it into Brunhilda's face in a careless manner. The dark blonde frowned for a moment, staring at the card in annoyance before her eyes widened in shock. "T-this is—this is a—"

"A General Manager's Identification Card!" Tsu finished cheerfully, before making a sweeping hand gesture towards the very bottom of the card. "And if you look more closely at the fine print of this ID, Ms. A. Nouncer, you'll see that I full authority to go wherever I please in this here tournament. So why don't you be a good little girl and run along? Fetch Goku and Ms. Kikai for me…I need to speak to them as well."

"Well…" Brunhilda looked uncertainly at Sachiko, Kargo, and Jiro. "I-I don't know about this."

"I assure you that no harm will come to these children," Tsu said with a grin. "You have my word as a martial arts master and a gentleman."

"_Gentleman_?" Kargo repeated in disbelief, only to be ignored by Tsu.

"Please go on, Ms. A. Nouncer. The other fighters _must_ hear my message."

"But…"

Tsu sighed and shook his head. "Need I be more persuasive, ma'am? You might have the Men in Black on your side, but I have the entire police force on mine. And I assure you—" here Tsu grinned wickedly "—my men are more than capable of handling yours, especially since my men are not afraid to use _weapons_."

Brunhilda paled. She understood the not-so-hidden meaning behind his words. "Alright. I understand."

"Good. Run along, now."

With that, Brunhilda reluctantly left the lounge, leaving the three youths in the hands of a seemingly too happy Tsu. Almost beside himself with glee at this point, the old master bent down in front of Sachiko again and gave her a smile. "Hello my dear," he greeted kindly, brushing some of the stray strands of dark blue hair away from Sachiko's terrified face. "I've missed you."

"Don't you touch her!" Kargo yelled, slapping Tsu's hand away with more daring that he ever imagined he had. Immediately the Namek boy regretted his actions—the old master was now staring at him, the smile on his lips becoming twisted and strained as he began to chuckle softly.

"I see that your manners haven't improved, boy," Tsu remarked quietly. "You're still the obsessed, neurotic little ninny that left my base in shambles six weeks ago."

"Well, I do my best, sir." Kargo replied dryly, keeping the shaking in his voice to a minimum as he tried his best not to flinch under the old man's stare. At least, he thought that Tsu was staring at him.

_Damn mask. Why won't he take it off? What the hell's he hiding under there?_

"And you…" Tsu turned his focus towards Jiro, who glaring at him in absolute hatred. "Well, you're still the same selfish brat as before, aren't you? Just to let you know, Rei looks forward to meeting you again…if you actually get the _chance_ to see her again that is…"

"Fuck off!" Jiro retorted heatedly, standing up to angrily glare at Tsu as the old master laughed softly in his face. "I'll make you and that bitch pay for what you did to my company! No one messes with the Kutai family and gets away with it!"

"Of course, of course," Tsu replied absentmindedly, waving a hand in the air in dismissal as if to disregard Jiro completely. This only served to anger the young boy further, but before he could say another word, Sachiko timidly spoke up.

"W-why are you here?" Sachiko asked shakily, squeezing Kargo's hand as she tried her best to keep calm and still. Unfortunately, she remembered everything that Tsu had done to her and her friends throughout the past several months, and this did nothing to quell her fear of the old master. "Why are you here? You—you better not do anything crazy, Tsu-san, or else Goku-san will come and kick your behind from here to Otherworld!"

"Oh really?" Tsu's mouth fell open slightly in surprise at her words, before he smirked and snickered quietly. "Ah, how I've missed your sweet tantrums, my little one! They've brought me so much joy that I almost went into a state of depression after not hearing them for so long!"

"What the hell do you want from us?" Kargo and Jiro bellowed, their ki bursting around their bodies so suddenly that Tsu was slightly taken aback by the ferocity of their combined energy.

"Just tell us why you're here, old man!" Kargo yelled, baring his fangs dangerously at Tsu. "No more head games! I'm sick of this, Sachi-chan's sick of this, and even rich boy's sick of this! Just tell us, already! Tell us what the hell you _want_ from us!"

The old master was silent for a moment; carefully observing the fierce mannerisms of the boys while noting that Sachiko was taking in the entire scene with wide, confused eyes.

_Ah…so the child is uneasy about all of this? This could prove…interesting._

"What do I want?" Tsu repeated slowly, rubbing his chin as he gazed thoughtfully at the three youths in front of him. "What do I want? Hmm…I guess I've never had to actually _think_ about what I wanted before. But…" He crossed his arms in front of his chest, cocking his head at Sachiko, Kargo, and Jiro with a grin. "Even if I told you what I wanted, you'd probably all think I was a lunatic."

"But we already think that," Jiro said flatly. "There was nothing in your past actions that didn't indicate that you _weren't_ a crazy old loon."

"I second that notion," Kargo agreed, nodding his head solemnly as Sachiko continued to watch the scene before her in confusion and silence. She didn't know what to say to any of this. All she wanted was for Tsu to go far away and never come back…

The small girl suddenly screamed when she felt a strong hand grab her by the arm and rip her away from Kargo and Jiro. A second later she found herself nestled in the constricting arms of an ecstatic looking Tsu, and her entire body froze in terror. _Oh sweet mother of Amaterasu! Help me! _"EEEEEEEK! Get away from me!" she shrieked, clawing at the old master's chest and arms as she tried desperately to get away from his hold.

"LET GO OF HER!" Kargo and Jiro yelled, and a second later both boys were pummeling away at the older man, their fists punching every inch of Tsu's body that was within reach.

"Let go of her, you creep!" Jiro roared, as Kargo resorted to grabbing one of Tsu's arms and biting down hard on the flesh.

However, to Sachiko's horror, the old master didn't even blink at the attacks. Instead, he lowered his head until his forehead was pressed against hers, and he smiled as she tried and failed to move away from his touch. "Listen, little one," he whispered softly, his warm breath ghosting against her cheek as he spoke into her ear. "My offer from before still stands."

The small girl trembled, well aware that her two best friends were still fighting tooth and nail to get her out of this madman's grasp. An impossible task, this she knew, but maybe if she humored and distracted him… "W-what offer?"

"The offer I've made to train you. The offer I've made to teach you the secrets of the gods, and the reason behind your existence. The offer I've made to take you to your father…"

She had a father? Oh yes, he had said that to her before, hadn't he? "Is he alive?"

"Maybe." Tsu's smile softened, becoming almost tender and loving in appearance. "If you want to know, all you have to say is yes. I will end this ridiculous tournament right now, you know. I will return the Namek's father and the dragonballs too. I won't kill your two male idiots over there and I'll return Katsu to Hideaki Kutai. There's no need to have this silly Tenkaichi Budokai and risk hurting any more loved ones, don't you agree?"

Sachiko didn't know what to say. At this point, Kargo and Jiro were clawing at Tsu's arms, and the small girl could finally see a sign of discomfort on the old master's face. _Uh-oh…that's not good. He's—he's not going to kill them, is he?_

_Don't be stupid_, a sharp voice in her mind scolded harshly. _And don't believe a thing that's coming out of his mouth! He's lying! When has he ever told you the truth about anything? You can't trust a word this man says, no matter how nice he's being to you!_

Of course he was lying. Sachiko knew this, and yet…she thought about it. A small part of her knew that taking his offer was crazy, suicidal even, but there was another part of her that wondered. If she agreed to go with him, would he really stop all of this? Was it really only her he was after? If she just sacrificed herself, would it really benefit the other people she loved?

And would she really be able to meet her father?

"Well, my dear?" Tsu looked at her expectantly, his lips slightly pressed together in his excitement. "What do you say?"

"Goddamn it," Kargo hissed, scratching harder at Tsu's arm as the nails on his hands grew and sharpened until they looked like demonic claws. "Let her go, you fucking son-of-a-bitch!"

"Stop touching her!" Jiro snarled, tugging so hard at Tsu's other arm that Sachiko felt herself slip slightly down the old man's body. "LET HER GO!"

Blood was now appearing on the sleeves of Tsu's suit, and Sachiko saw from his thinning lips that the old master's patience had reached its limit. When his grip tightened on her body and he bore his teeth in a horrible grimace, she knew that he was going to hurt them…

…so she hurt him first.

"OW!" Tsu yelped as he clutched hard at his slapped cheek, releasing his grip on Sachiko as she quickly jumped out of his arms. Grabbing Kargo and Jiro, she dragged them towards the exit of the lounge, hoping to make a quick getaway as she flung open the door—and slammed hard into what felt like a brick wall. The sheer force of the collision knocked her straight off her feet and she ended up being caught by a pair of large, strong arms as she looked up dizzily into the worried gaze of her ancestor.

"Sachi-chan!" Goku cried, his eyes darting from her disheveled appearance, to Kargo and Jiro's tired and ragged forms, to the clearly annoyed Tsu who was quietly healing the bloody scratches that Kargo had left on his arms only moments ago. "YOU! What are you doing here?"

"What did you do to these kids?" Kikai demanded icily, stomping out from behind Goku's back and stepping up to Tsu with a hateful glare on her face. "That announcer woman told me you were here, but I didn't think you would actually be stupid enough to show up in person…"

"And it's good to see you too, Miss Eighteen," Tsu replied dryly, testing his healed arm as his lips curved into a shadow of a smile. "Well, I've said what I wanted to my precious Sachiko—"

"Your precious WHAT?" Goku cried out, his eyes widening in shock.

"—so I'll now relay my message to the rest of you," Tsu went on, not paying the large Saiyajin even the slightest bit of attention. "I'm sure you're all wondering what happened to that fool known as Katsu Noh."

"Yes!" Hideaki yelled, pushing her way towards Tsu as she threw a furious glare of her own towards the old master. "What did you do to him, you bastard? Where is my Katsu-kun?"

"Your lover boy is fine," Tsu replied carelessly, although the corners of his lip twitched at the mention of Katsu's name. "You see, the black hole he fell into was a portal of my own creation, a portal that pulls in only the loser of each battle. This portal transports all losing contestants into a detainment area that is located in a secret area of Sentou Islands. In short, he's perfectly fine, but you won't see him until a winner is declared for this ridiculous martial arts competition."

"WHAT?" At this, everyone stared at Tsu in shock. "You've got to be kidding," Jiro said in disbelief. "Are you telling me that if one of us loses a fight from this point onwards, we're gonna be held prisoner in some unknown location until the tournament's over?"

"Pretty much," Tsu admitted, grinning sheepishly. "Not one of my best ideas, but my employer wanted it that way…" Tsu then frowned. "To be honest, creating those holes are quite taxing on my strength. The further the distance I have to transport, the more energy I use up...good heavens, I hope I can hold out until the tournament's end..."

"You're trying to separate us!" Hideaki shrieked, her eyes widening in horror as she took a step back from the old man. "You—you terrible man! You can't do that! In the Tenkaichi Budokai rules, losing contestants have the right to remain at ringside until the end of the tournament!"

"But according to Tenkaichi Budokai rules," Tsu countered gently, "the General Manager has the right to adjust tournament rules and conditions as he sees fit, and the General Manager's word is _law_. And please keep in mind that should any of you drop out from the tournament _now_ because of this little revelation, then the deal is off."

"…"

"…"

A harsh silence fell upon the room. Bastard or not, Tsu was right about the General Manager's position, and they couldn't risk losing their chance at getting Piccolo and the dragonballs back.

"How did you make a portal like that?" Goku asked suddenly, still somewhat astonished at hearing that such a technique existed. "None of the other warriors on Otherworld had a move like that…ever!"

Tsu scoffed. "That technique, Son Goku, is a rather nifty little trick I learned in my many years of life. Sadly, it has more cons than pros, and I really dislike using it. At any rate, if I had to teach the technique, then I would only wish to teach this ability to a loved one and _you_ sir, are most certainly not a loved one."

"Aww." Goku pouted. "That's mean."

"However…" Tsu turned his attention to Sachiko, who squeaked and buried her face against Goku's shoulder. "If Sachiko-chan over there wanted to learn it…well, it would be a different matter."

"Huh?" Kikai blinked in confusion. "Why her? What do you want from her?"

Tsu grinned. "Now _that_—" he waggled his finger mockingly in front of the blonde woman's face "—is a _secret_."

Kikai's eye twitched, and her fists clenched angrily at her sides. "You arrogant bastard," she hissed, her icy blue eyes narrowing dangerously as she stepped closer to the still cheerful Tsu and grabbed at his shirt collar. "I have had enough of this stupid tournament of yours, do you understand me? Tell us everything we want to know _right now_, or else I'll—"

And then she gasped. Kikai's grip on the old master, vice-like and nearly unbreakable only a second ago, was now clutching at thin air instead of a shirt collar. In a blink of an eye the old master had vanished into thin air, his body disappearing from their sight with only his words remaining behind to taunt them.

"As much as I appreciate your enthusiasm," Tsu said, his bodiless voice echoing around them in an almost euphoric manner, "I'm afraid that any and all action must wait until you set foot inside the ring. We don't want the critics to pan the Tenkaichi Budokai as a mindless blood sport, do we? And I'm certain you don't want President Kutai and his wife to meet with any…_unfortunate _incidences."

Jiro and Hideaki's eyes widened in horror. "You COWARD!" Jiro yelled, looking around the room as he, Goku, Kikai, and Kargo tried their hardest to pinpoint even a trace of Tsu's ki signature. "Leave my parents out of this! Come out and fight, you son-of-a-bitch! We're ready for you _now_, so face us like a man, damn it!"

The human teen was answered by a disgruntled snort. "Don't even try using that tone with me, child," Tsu's voice said sternly. "I know what your plans are. None of you are strong enough to face me anyway besides Goku—I bet you're all planning for him to win the entire tournament and challenge me after everything's said and done, am I right?"

The room immediately fell silent, the expressions on everyone's faces turning into shock.

"I thought so." Tsu let out another snort. "But there is ONE little flaw in your plans…what happens if Goku looses beforehand?"

With that, Tsu's voice faded into the background, laughing coldly as the silence in the room grew stony and somber, as if the words the old master had spoken had actually taken root inside all of their minds.

All minds except Sachiko and Goku's, that is.

"I won't lose," Goku declared loudly, his tone serious as he held Sachiko tightly against his body. "You hear me, Tsu? I won't lose! Not against you!" His grip on her body was becoming painful now, but the small girl, who had kept her face hidden against her ancestor's shoulder the entire time, said nothing.

_Goku-san can't lose_, she thought desperately to herself. _He can't! He's our only chance of getting Piccolo-san and the dragonballs back! He's our only chance at setting things right again! Goku-san can't lose…_

…_because if he does, then we'll be alone._

There was a timid clearing of the throat, and all of the fighters turned to see a nervous looking Brunhilda standing by the doorway.

"T-the second match is about to be announced," the dark blonde woman said in a low tone. "W-we should get back to the arena now…if that's what you all want."

There was a messy bundle of emotions in Brunhilda's strangely quiet voice, and for a moment Sachiko couldn't understand why the announcer sounded this way. But as she locked eyes with Brunhilda's own clouded green ones, the small girl realized that Brunhilda was in fact afraid for them. She was afraid for them because the dark blonde now knew, for the first time, why this tournament was being held.

Sachiko smiled sadly at the older woman. Perhaps some things would have been better left unsaid and unknown.

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

Ke took Beunhilda's place as announcer, for he had just received word that she needed some fresh air.

_Poor girl_, he thought sadly._ Did she find out the truth? _"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN," he shouted, forcing a smile on his face as he pumped a fist in the air, "THANK YOU FOR WAITING! AND NOW, WITHOUT FURTHER ADO, LET'S MOVE ON TO THE SECOND MATCH UP OF THE QUARTERFINALS!"

The crowd roared its approval and anticipation as the giant television screens flickered on. A white background suddenly flashed before the eyes of the remaining participants, and two large boxes suddenly appeared on the screen, the boxes connected by a single black line as several pictures of each of the contestants rapidly flickered on and off the screen.

"Who's it gonna be?" Hideaki asked worriedly, staring at the screens as she nervously bit her thumb. "Remember, the winner of this match has to face Sachiko in the semi-finals, and the loser has to…to…" She trailed off.

No one spoke. They knew what she was talking about, and they tried their hardest not to think about it.

Sachiko lowered her head and shut her eyes. _Please let it be okay. Please, let the selection be okay so that this tournament can end quickly. I don't want to lose anyone else…_

There was a gasp from the crowds, followed a dismayed cry by Jiro. Sachiko's eyes burst open, immediately taking in the shocked faces of Kikai, Kargo, and Hideaki, as well as the unreadable expression on Goku's and the horrified look on Jiro's. She looked up, wondering what the results were...only to pale at what she saw on the screens before her.

The next match by random selection: Jiro Kutai versus Goku Son.

**Jiro: Next time—**

**Kargo: "HOLD IT!"**

**Sachiko: Hey! That's from Phoenix Wright!**

**Kargo: I know. It was to get your attention, because TURMOIL-san just sent the word to not give out a next time. She's tired of constantly having to change the next time situations, so why bother?**

**Sachiko: True. OH WELL! Back to whipping stuff! (Cracks whip against the ground) Mwahahahaha! I am Franziska von Karma, fools! Fear my power, my foolish fools who are fools!**

**Kargo: …**

**Jiro: …**

**Kargo: …Sachi-chan?**

**Sachiko: (Sweetly) Yes, Kargo-kun?**

**Kargo: …give me that whip. **

**Sachiko: EH? But why? I don't wanna! "OBJECTION!"**

**Jiro: JUST GIVE IT TO HIM!**

**Sachiko: (Pouts) Aww… (Hands it over)**

**Kargo: (Throws whip away) Whew! Thank god that's over.**

**Sachiko: Now what am I supposed to use as Franziska von Karma? I really liked that whip.**

**Jiro: Don't lose sleep over it, kiddo.**

**Sachiko: (Perks up and clasps hands together) I know! I'll use Franziska von Karma's REAL whip! (Whips out whip 10 times bigger than previous one)**

**Jiro and Kargo: AAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGH! NO! SACHIKO, GET THAT THING AWAY FROM US!**

**Sachiko: Teehee! Well, I'll use this later than…but still, I hope you readers out there will read and review! Feedback is needed for our authoress to improve!**


	53. I Can't Lose

Sachiko: Our author does not own Dragonball, fools! Now, stop thinking those foolish thoughts, or else I will have to whip your foolishly foolish behind with my fool-hating whip! Fools! HAHAHAHAHA!

Kargo: …

Jiro: …

Kargo: Well, it's happened. Sachi-chan's finally become insane.

Jiro: And she's become addicted to the word "fool."

Sachiko: Mwhahahahahaha! (Cracks whip and almost kills a member of the audience)

Random Audience Member #1: EEK!

Kargo: ACK! Sachi-chan, knock it off! (Grabs whip and hands a stuffed teddy bear to Sachiko) Here! Use this instead! This should be safer—I mean, more _fun _for you to use. Hehehe… (Still shaking slightly)

Sachiko: Hmm. (Squeezes teddy bear in hand) I guess this is okay.

Jiro: (Sighs in relief) Thank god!

Sachiko: HYAH! (Whaps Jiro in the face with teddy)

Jiro: (Body slams into the floor, leaving a huge crater) OW! The…pain…

Audience: It's a one-hit KO!

Sachiko: Teeheehee! I win! Kargo, where are you? Let's have a stuffed animal fight! Kargo? (Looks around the studio) Kargo! Where'dya go?

(At bus stop several miles away)

Kargo: (Curled into a ball while rocking back and forth with a thumb in his mouth) The horror…the HORROR! The billowy, stuffing-filled horror!

_**Chapter Fifty-Three: I Can't Lose**_

Jiro froze as he stared at the screen, where his scowling picture flashed next to Goku's grinning one in an almost mocking manner.

_No way. This is some sort of sick joke, right?_

He shook his head. It couldn't be right. Maybe he needed his eyes punctured, because the matchup had to be nothing more than a mistake. IT WAS A MISTAKE! But no matter how many times he rubbed his eyes, no matter how many times he tried to tell himself that what he was seeing was just a horrible trick of the mind, there was no way around it.

He was scheduled to fight against Goku, and he was scheduled to fight against him _now_.

"NO!" Sachiko's voice rang out shrilly from behind him, and she dashed forward as she wildly grabbed Goku's arm. "Goku-san, you can't!" Sachiko plead desperately as she clutched at her ancestor's sleeves. "Goku-san, you and Jiro can't fight this match!"

"Sachi-chan…" Goku bit his lip uncertainly. "Sachi-chan, I don't know what else I can do…"

"Goku-san, think of something! If one of you wins, I'll have to fight you! And if one of you loses, then that means…" She faltered off, her eyes trailing over to the ring where Katsu had disappeared not too long ago.

A terrible vision of Katsu getting pulled against his will into the black hole suddenly raced through Jiro's mind, and the young boy shook his head fiercely as he tried in vain to block it out. There was no way that was going to happen to him. He couldn't lose, not when the consequences were this high. If he lost to Goku now, he would be separated from the others. No one would be able to find him and he would be at the mercy of Tsu and Rei.

He couldn't lose. He couldn't! He didn't want to!

But that meant that in turn, Goku would have to lose…

"Fighters, please step up to the arena!" Ke shouted, looking expectantly at the group as Jiro and Goku stared at one another with worried, uncomfortable gazes. The large Saiyajin looked extremely hesitant to step into the ring while Jiro looked as if he had just been run over by a train.

Slowly, as if they were on auto-pilot, his legs began to inch towards the arena. _Stop it_, he told his body, which was stubbornly moving onto the ring. _Stop it! You know I can't win against that overmuscled, meatheaded excuse for a man! Stop moving! I can't beat him!_

His body moved on, stopping only when he was standing next to the shaggy-haired announcer boy.

Goku had followed suit, no longer the happy or confident man he had been during the beginning of the tournament. "This isn't good," the large Saiyajin whispered to the less-than-thrilled Jiro. "What should we do, Jiro?"

"As if I'd know!" Jiro hissed back, his voice dripping with venomous frustration. He couldn't believe this—Goku was supposedly his ancestor, was supposedly some legendary hero of his day…and he couldn't think of a way out of Tsu's traps? This had to be a joke…

Not that he believed Goku was his ancestor, of course.

"Ladies and gentlemen," Ke announced loudly, grinning at the cheering spectators as he wrapped an arm around Goku's shoulder, "the man I'm standing next to has broken world records during the preliminary rounds! He has beaten all of his opponents in less than thirty seconds, and never got hit once! To be honest, I believe that this is also his first time in the Tenkaichi Budokai, so give him a large round of applause, everyone!"

A warm cheer arose from the audience, particularly from the female portion of the crowds. Goku and Jiro sweatdropped when they saw a large banner that said, "WILL YOU MARRY ME?" written in giant red letters near the front of the crowds.

"Gee, I hope Chi-Chi doesn't find out about this," Goku murmured worriedly. "She might get the wrong idea and all…"

"Oh?" Ke's jaw dropped open slightly. "You're already married, Mr. Son?"

"Yup! And Chi-Chi and I are _happily_ married, too! At least, _I_ think we're happily married. My friend Vegeta said that I'm whipped, but that's silly! Chi-Chi doesn't own a whip! I mean, after being together for six hundred years, I think I would know if she had something like that! Hahahahahaha!"

"…"

"…"

Ke coughed as the entire crowd fell silent at this revelation. "S-surely you mean you were together for _six_ years, don't you, sir? You, ah, you don't seem _that_ old."

"Hmm? No, I meant it when I said six hun—OW!" Goku yelped in pain as he hopped up and down on one foot, rubbing his assaulted shin as he gave Jiro a childish pout. "Jiro, why'd you kick me? What'd I do?"

"…" Jiro's eye twitched, and he turned his gaze to the side in annoyance.

"ANYWAY!" Ke said loudly, laughing nervously as the crowds became even _more_ silent. "On our other side, we have the very popular, very well known Jiro Kutai! Like Goku, he's also beaten his opponents with seemingly little effort and with no scratches on him at all! Let's give him a big round of applause too, people!"

"JIJI-KUN!" Jiro looked up at the high-pitched, extremely annoying voice from the stands and paled when his eyes landed on a teenaged girl around his age, one who had dyed blonde hair and was dressed in a Gothic Lolita manner. But although her appearance had changed, Jiro would have recognized her contemptuous look of fury no matter where he went, no matter how many years had passed, no matter how many times she dyed and re-dyed her hair.

"Rosa!" His face now completely drained of blood, Jiro turned to Ke and tugged desperately at the sixteen-year-old's arm. "Hey mac! Are you in charge of security around here?"

Ke blinked. "Um, to an extent…I hold partial power over the Men in Black."

"GOOD! Then tell your men to keep that crazy bitch away from me! She's a psycho serial stalker!"

Jiro pointed directly at Rosa, who was now livid—she had heard everything that Jiro had said due to the close proximity of Ke's microphone. "YOU BASTARD!" she shrieked, attempting and failing to lunge at Jiro from her seat as Lily and Daisy tried their hardest to hold her back. (Not surprisingly, the two girls were dressed exactly like Rosa and still seemed to be her willing slaves after all this time…) "LIKE, HOW COULD YOU TOTALLY SAY THAT ABOUT ME? WE ARE, LIKE, TOTALLY _OVER_!"

"I'm glad!" Jiro snapped back. Still, he didn't relax until he saw several of the Men in Black come down and drag the kicking and screaming Rosa away. _Good, _he thought to himself. _One less shit to worry about._ But that still didn't solve the problem of him getting his ass kicked by Goku and then getting sucked into a black hole afterwards.

What was he going to do?

_I don't want to lose…_

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

"Who's that, Hideaki?" Kargo asked curiously as he watched the Men in Black carry the screaming girl away. "She kinda seems familiar."

"Um…" Hideaki had turned pallid that the sight of the girl, but she forced herself to turn to the Namek boy with a smile "Never you mind, oh wise green one. Never you mind…"

Kikai frowned as she watched both Jiro and Goku sweat bullets on the ring, albeit for different reasons. "You know, even though I completely hate his scarf-loving guts, I think this was a pretty clever move on his part. That stubborn little Vegeta clone can't win against Goku, and that bastard Tsu knows it."

"What?" Kargo turned to the blonde woman with wide eyes. "W-what do you mean, Eighteen? What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about Tsu," Kikai replied, watching as Jiro and Goku very slowly made their way towards the ring. "He most likely rigged the numbers to inflict as much physical _and_ psychological damage to us as possible. He's doing his best to separate us both physically and mentally."

"But—but that's not fair!" Hideaki cried, her voice shaking as she stared at the distraught Sachiko, who looked as if she was about to break down and cry at any given second. The small girl still didn't seem to understand what had happened and looked as if her body had completely shut down. "Oh, I hate this! We need Goku to win, but if Jiro loses then he'll end up like Katsu!"

"Actually," Kargo muttered as he scratched his chin carelessly, "I wouldn't mind if rich boy disappeared for a few hours. Hell, I'd welcome it…besides, Goku will save us all in the end, won't he?"

Hideaki stared at the Namek boy in shock. "KARGO! How could you even _say_ something like that? I'll admit he might be a jerk, but Jiro-kun is still my brother!"

"One person's brother is another person's enemy!"

"Enough!" Kikai turned to Kargo and Hideaki and gave them a hard glare. "That's enough, the both of you! Don't you see what's going on? This is exactly what Tsu wants! He wants us to start worrying and arguing with one another over the matches!"

"Well, he's doing a pretty good job then, isn't he?" Kargo retorted, his dark eyes narrowing at the blonde woman. "Just what the heck are we supposed to do about this? We can't find Tsu, we don't know where's he's holding Katsu…he's holding all the cards! And it's not like we can just throw the matches so that Goku can advance! We'll end up as Tsu's bitches if we lose, and I will NOT be electrified again, okay? I just won't!"

"Would. You. Shut. _Up_?" Kikai hissed. "You don't get it yet, do you? He not only wants us to start turning on one another, but—" she jerking her head towards the unmoving Sachiko "—he also wants to break _her _down. Just look at the kid!"

Kargo and Hideaki turned to Sachiko's direction, immediately taking the sight of the small girl standing forlornly at the edge of the ring, her hands clasped together as she murmured a silent prayer for both Goku and Jiro. "Everything will be okay," she whispered, as Goku sent an uneasy smile in her direction. "Goku and Jiro will find a way. Everything will be okay…"

"Sachi-chan…" Leaving Hideaki and Kikai to talk amongst themselves, Kargo walked towards the small girl, only to yelp in shock when a young woman around Hideaki's age suddenly pushed past him, followed by two rather large, burly looking security guards. The woman, who was blonde and dressed in a Gothic Lolita manner (and who eerily reminded Kargo of the girl who had just been thrown out), stared around the arena with an air of contempt before pointing at a location right next to the ring, right where Sachiko was standing.

"There," the woman said haughtily. "I want to sit there. Move that child and place my seat there!"

"Yes ma'am!" The guards gave the woman a quick salute before walking up to Sachiko and tapping her on the shoulder, forcing her to look away from the arena as one of the guards tried to shoo her off to the side. "Hey kid, mind moving? Miss MoshiMoshi would like to sit here."

"…"

Sachiko sniffed back a tear before she looked up at the rather bored looking pop idol. The small girl then turned to the guards, blinking as she stared at them in confusion. "Why would she want to sit here?" Sachiko asked, her eyes going from the guards, to the increasingly agitated MoshiMoshi, before finally resting on the guards again. "This is ringside. Only fighters and their family members are allowed to be out here."

"Excuse me?" MoshiMoshi raised a platinum blonde eyebrow, giving the little girl a look of sheer disbelief. "Do you know who you're talking to, kid?"

"Um…not really…"

"WHAT?" MoshiMoshi nearly fell over from shock, but one of her guards managed to catch her just in time. "Why of—of all the nerve! How can you NOT know me? I'm Marianna "MoshiMoshi" Sue! I'm the beautiful, glamorous, perfect model and spokesperson for the newest brand of Vidwatches, as well as an actress, pop star, and a fashion trendsetter for everyone in the cities—what do you want now?" MoshiMoshi snapped, glaring down at Sachiko in irritation as the little girl tugged at the hem of her dress.

"Miss MoshiMoshi," Sachiko said innocently, "I'm from the feudal villages. I wouldn't really know anything about…well, everything you've said just now."

"…"

"…"

"GUARDS! GET THIS DISGUSTING FEUDAL KID AWAY FROM ME!"

"Hey!" Kargo yelled, rushing up to Sachiko and pulling her into a protective embrace as he bared his fangs angrily at the guards and at MoshiMoshi. "Sachi-chan is one of the participants of the Budokai, so keep your dirty hands off of her!"

"Keep _my_ hands off of _her_?" MoshiMoshi snorted loudly and flipped her long, dyed blonde hair in the wind. "You must be joking. She's from the low class villages! I'm one of the top idols in the world! Who should stay away from whom? And anyway, who the hell are _you_?" The pop idol sneered at Kargo's visible green skin and antennae—the Namek boy had forgotten to put up his hood, and his face was currently revealed for all to see. "You look stupid with the green body paint, boy. Go home and wash your face!"

"…" Kargo's eye twitched in irritation, before he forced a terrible smile on his face. "You know what? Why don't you have a seat right at the edge of the ring? The view is great, and you'll have a front row position to _all _of the action…"

"But Kargo-kun," Sachiko whispered as she gave her friend a disapproving look, "you know that's a dangerous place to be in for a civilian!"

And here, Kargo grinned deviously. "That's the point, Sachi-chan."

"Huh?" Sachiko cocked her head curiously. She was about to ask him what he meant when suddenly…

"AHA!"

"EEEEEEEEEK!" Sachiko and Kargo leapt ten feet in the air in fright as a loud, ear-splitting, amplified voice boomed from behind them. Whirling around, the two found themselves face to face with Ke, who was smirking at the two of them as his black hair fell messily over his eyes. "Ke-kun!" Sachiko cried out, clutching at her heart as she gave the older boy a stubborn pout. "Don't do that! You almost gave me a heart attack!"

"Sorry Dove. I couldn't help it." Ke grinned cheekily before he turned to the still annoyed MoshiMoshi. "Ah! I see we have a celebrity in our midst! It's a pleasure to meet you, miss."

MoshiMoshi snorted and stuck her nose in the air. "I might just leave after what these two _children_ said to me! How could you even allow filthy feudal children into the cities? It's simply barbaric!"

"BARBARIC?" Kargo tried to lunge for the woman, only to have Sachiko hold him back as she tried desperately to calm him down.

"I'm sure she didn't mean it!" Sachiko said hurriedly, keeping a firm hold on the Namek boy's arms as he flailed and thrashed in her grasp. "Besides, what does 'barbaric' even mean, anyway?"

"Humph!" MoshiMoshi turned away and crossed her arms over her chest. "Stupid little girl! How she even got to be a participant is beyond me. Maybe the tournament's rigged!"

"…" Ke's grin became slightly strained, although it was difficult to tell with half his face covered by his hair and his baseball cap. But the strain disappeared quickly, and the sixteen-year-old said in a cordial tone, "Well miss, since you came all the way to ringside, it's only fitting that I ask what I can do for a _lovely_ lady such as yourself. Do tell me what you wish for, and I'll do my very best to accommodate you."

"Well…" MoshiMoshi glanced around the ringside. "I wanted to sit here to see the action up close, but those barbaric children told me that it was too dangerous! The nerve of them!"

"Indeed…" Ke rubbed his chin thoughtfully, before he gave the platinum blonde woman a flashy smile. "I'll tell you what, ma'am. Why don't you sit over there, in the corner where the cameras are? That way, you'll be able to see everything, and maybe get a little TV screen time. Extra publicity and all…"

For a rising, self-centered star like MoshiMoshi, she couldn't say no to a little extra screen time. "I agree! To the cameras!" MoshiMoshi smiled haughtily, before she beckoned for her guards to go towards the cameramen with her collapsible chairs and black parasols in hand.

Kargo watched the pop idol walk away, a muscle working furiously in his jaw. "Well, that added unnecessary stress on my poor mentality. How the fuck can city people be so selfish, anyway?"

"I don't know," Sachiko moaned, hugging the Namek's arm before turning her attention to the smirking announcer boy at ringside. "But Ke-kun, what are you doing here? And why are you acting as an announcer? And—" Sachiko gulped nervously "—are you really working with that icky meanie Tsu? Say it isn't so!"

His smirk fading, Ke fell silent. Without a word, he reached down and brushed a stray strand of hair away from the small girl's face as he shook his head solemnly.

Sachiko's eyes widened. _No…it can't be!_ "Ke-kun! Ke-kun, please! Tell me there's a way for you to stop the match! I can't lose Goku-san or Jiro like this! Say something, Ke-kun! _Tell me I can still trust you_!"

Ke slowly turned his back to her and returned to the center of the ring, where Goku and Jiro were nervously standing. Plastering a smile to his face, the shaggy-haired boy pumped his fist in the air and shouted, "I think that's enough waiting, don't you think so, folks?"

The crowds roared their agreement, much to the horror of Sachiko, Kargo, Hideaki, and to an extent, Kikai.

"Well then! Let's get the second match started!" His grip tightening on his microphone, Ke swung his free hand towards Goku and Jiro dramatically as a strange smile crept onto his lips. "For those viewers just joining us at home, I think it is only fair to warn you that there has been several new…_additions_ to the matches. In addition to the regular rules, there is a new condition where if a contestant loses his or her match, then he or she will be forcibly removed from the arena by a new method that is currently being provided by the General Manager of the tournament!"

"What sort of method is it?" MoshiMoshi asked, lounging in one of her portable chairs as her guards fanned her nearby.

"Huh." Ke scratched his head in thought, before he smiled sheepishly. "Well, I can't exactly describe it. You'll have to see for yourself. And by the way…" Ke lowered his voice dramatically into the microphone. "Please remember that the new method, while scary looking and dark, will not cause too much pain to the loser."

"Did he say 'will not cause _too much_ pain?'" Hideaki asked Kikai, sweatdropping as she did so.

"Well, that's all I have to say!" Ke said cheerfully. "Trust me when I say that there is absolutely nothing to worry about! Contestants, please enjoy yourselves and try your best to win the championship! If you can, that is!"

"There's that strange wording of his again," Kikai mumbled, her eye twitching slightly.

"Let's being the match, shall we?" Ke yelled, backing away to the edge of the ring as the drums began to beat loudly for the second time throughout the tournament. "Fighters, are you ready? Are you set? FIGHT!"

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

_I can't lose. I can't lose! I CAN'T LOSE!_

Jiro launched himself into the air and flew head-on at Goku. He sent a kick at the large Saiyajin, who dodged the young boy's attack with a grim look on his face. Jiro then swung around, bounced off Goku's back, and sent a bright blue ki blast at him…only to pale when his attack struck Goku's after image.

"SHIT!" Jiro quickly traced the large Saiyajin's ki and turned around, swearing when he found Goku all the way on the other side of the ring. Goku shook his head solemnly, before he powered up and sped towards Jiro at high speeds.

_Fuck! I'm not going out like this, Goku!_

Jiro quickly jumped to the side before Goku could tackle him and swung a fierce uppercut at the Saiyajin just as he passed. But at the last second, Goku flipped his body to the side, a surprised but pleased grin appearing on his face as he sent a high kick in the young boy's direction. Jiro grabbed Goku's leg as he tried to jump over it and place himself in a better position to attack.

And then, without warning, Goku powered up again and promptly jerked his leg upward, causing Jiro to lose his grip and hurtle up into the sky.

_NO! I can't lose!_

Yellow orbs of ki formed in Goku's hands, and in seconds he sent four balls of energy straight at the still sailing Jiro. Using his own ki, the human teen caught himself in midair and twisted his body in all directions to dodge the attacks.

"What the hell was THAT?" MoshiMoshi yelled from her seat, her blue eyes widening in shock as she stared at the disappearing energy orbs. "What the hell is that Goku guy? And why is that kid FLYING? What the hell is he, a superhero?"

Jiro snorted at the woman's idiocy, but he forced himself to ignore her and instead flew at Goku with a ki-charged punch. But Goku quickly grabbed Jiro's arm and swung the boy over his head, forcing Jiro to land onto the hard, stony floor of the arena. At the last second, Jiro turned his leg to the side in order to regain his balance, almost tripping in the process, but still remaining somewhat upright. Goku, ever the ring general, landed a hard punch to Jiro's stomach which completely winded the young boy.

"Ah…!"

"Jiro!" From the sidelines, Jiro saw Sachiko's eyes widen to the size of dinner plates as his sister held her hands over her mouth, both of their faces filled with worry and absolute horror.

_You can't lose, _his mind whispered tauntingly. _But that doesn't mean that you can win, either. No matter who wins, there has to be a loss in the end…_

Goddamn it. Goddamn it all!

Goku's fist was still buried in his stomach, and their bodies were only inches apart. Growling as he formed a blue ki blast in his hand, Jiro hurled his attack at Goku's grinning face…

…only to have the Saiyajin quickly leap away from him unscathed, the blue ki blast sailing off harmlessly into the skies once more.

"What a match!" Ke shouted from the corner of the ring. "It seems that Goku and Jiro have learned techniques never before seen in a Tenkaichi Budokai before!"

"Actually I've used techniques like that in the older tournaments," Goku chirped, only to get thumped in the head with a popcorn bag by Kikai.

"Would you stop saying things like that, you pea-brained imbecile?" Kikai yelled, her teeth becoming more and more gritted as the seconds passed. "My god, _no one_ can be this stupid!"

"And rich boy!" Kargo yelled as he approached the edge of the ring. "Just forfeit! We need Goku for the finals! We can't have him lose now!"

"Oh, just shut up you idiot!" Jiro roared, before he powered up and threw more blasts at Goku again, this time using more energy as he bombarded the large Saiyajin with his ki. Who cared if he was wasting his energy? Who cared if he was most likely attempting to do the impossible? He wasn't going to give up, and he wasn't going to let this _oaf_ of a fighter win just because he supposedly had the best shot of beating Tsu!

"Damn it!" Kargo swore, his eyes hardening as he watched Jiro throw blast after blast at the defending Goku. "Jiro's gonna waste all of his power on this match. What's he even doing this for? He knows he can't win…"

"How's he gonna defend himself against Tsu if he's tired?" Sachiko asked worriedly. "If he's too tired to fight, then who knows what that poophead Tsu could do to him!"

"I know…"

Meanwhile, Jiro threw ki ball after ki ball at Goku, who only smirked as he blocked each and every one of Jiro's shots by either letting the blast hit his guarded forearms, or carefully redirecting the blast towards the sky.

_Damn it, damn it, damn it, damn it, DAMN IT! Why won't the attacks CONNECT?_

"Stop _blocking_, you fucking jerk!" Jiro screamed in frustration, before he struck a familiar pose and focused all of his ki into his hands. Suddenly, there was a bright purple glow, and Goku's eyes widened at the sight before him. Jiro now held an astonishingly large ball of purple ki in his hands and his face was twisted in anger and concentration as he roared, "GALICK…GUN!"

A gigantic beam of purple energy exploded from his hands and shot right towards Goku, who quickly snapped out of his stupor and leapt out of the way…only to have the beam head straight towards the camera crew, two security guards, and a frozen and terrified MoshiMoshi.

"Oh no!" Before anyone else could react, Goku quickly teleported towards MoshiMoshi, intent on blocking the beam, but as he rematerialized in front of the blonde pop idol, the attack hit him square in the chest and knocked him backward into the cameras…

…and onto the ground.

"AND THE WINNER IS…JIRO KUTAI!"

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

"You can't disqualify him—"

"He was trying to save that stupid woman—"

"Goku-san can't lose! We still need him!"

"Damn it rich boy, why couldn't you just fucking _forfeit_?" Kargo glared heatedly at Jiro, who was sitting quietly in the corner with a downcast gaze as he listened to the angry arguments of his friends and the confused whisperings of the crowds in the stands.

He shouldn't be blamed for this. It wasn't his fault! He had just been doing what a fighter was supposed to do—fight. No one told Goku that he had to go play hero! It was MoshiMoshi's own fault for being in a dangerous location! Besides, Jiro told himself, he still _won_. And against Goku, no less. Shouldn't that count for _something_?

But no one was listening to him. Everyone was much too angry.

"Please, Ke-kun!" Sachiko begged, grabbing at Ke's sleeve and holding on with all of her might. "Isn't there some way to just restart the match? It was an accident! Goku-san was just trying to save MoshiMoshi-san! Surely there are exceptions?"

"I—I can't do that." Ke gave Sachiko a pitiful stare. "Dove, the rules state that if a fighter touches the ground outside the ring, he is disqualified regardless of the conditions surrounding his disqualification—EEP!"

Ke squeaked in fear as Kikai grabbed him by the collar and forced him to face her. "Listen you little twit," the blonde woman said in a cold, dangerously soft voice, "I don't care what your stupid rules say. You restart that match right now, or—"

"I'm afraid that can't happen, Miss Eighteen."

Everyone looked up at the giant television screens, and the Budokai audience's confused whisperings erupted into full scale shouts as the image of a smiling Tsu appeared. "Hello, everyone!" the masked man greeted. "I am the General Manager of this year's Tenkaichi Budokai! I'd shake you all warmly by the hand if I could, but I can't quite do that from a television screen, as you can plainly see…"

"What do you want now?" Kargo snapped, narrowing his eyes in dislike at the old master. "Go away, old man. This doesn't concern you!"

Tsu tsked loudly and waggled a finger in the air. "Actually, my brash boy, it _does_. See, as General Manager, it is my duty to make sure that the tournament is running smoothly. And what I'm seeing now is _anything_ but smooth. So, I'm going to put an end to this right now."

And here, everyone froze. _Oh no…_

"The tournament rules are absolute. If a fighter's body part touches the ground outside the ring, he is automatically disqualified. Even if Goku Son had been performing a good deed in the process, the end result is still the same despite it being an accident. He touched the ground, so therefore—" Tsu's smile twisted into a cruel smirk "—he is _disqualified_."

"NO!" In a fit of panic and uncharacteristic rage, Sachiko ran towards the nearest television screen and smashed it, sending bits of glass all over the arena. But the millions of other Tsus on the millions of other television screens all laughed mockingly at her.

"How marvelous!" he said cheerfully. "I do look forward to our next encounter, my dear Sachiko-chan! I raise a toast to you and your friends. May one of you end up victorious." The old master held up a glass of wine in front of the screen, giggling as Sachiko finally burst into tears and ran towards Goku, hugging her ancestor's leg firmly as Goku's face took on a pallid color.

"Sachiko," the large Saiyajin said in a strangely serious voice as he stared at the grass under his feet, "get away from me."

The small girl only sobbed harder and shook her head fiercely. "No, Goku-san! I won't let you go like this! Tsu tricked us!"

"Sachiko! Move!" Goku forcibly extracted Sachiko from his leg and flung her away by several feet, flying high into the air just as a large black mass sprouted where Goku had been standing only moments ago.

"Oh!" Hideaki grabbed Sachiko in alarm and pulled her away from the black hole, stared at the flying Goku with a look of realization on her face. "I get it! The black hole can't suck you in if you're not _on_ the ground!"

"R-really?" Sachiko stammered, looking up at Goku who was staring back down worriedly at the twisting black hole. "T-then there's a way around this terrible trap that Tsu laid out for us? That's so—"

She stopped.

As the small girl stared on she felt the fear set in, for within the gaping hole she could see several inky black tentacles worming their way into existence. Those, she realized, were ropes of darkness, ropes that wanted nothing more than to pull down their targets into whatever hell they led to. She stared up at her ancestor and saw from Goku's horrified face that he saw the tentacles too.

Without warning, the darkness zipped through the air and Goku flew higher, trying to get away from the ropes in a blind panic. For a few moments he was successful, twisting and maneuvering past the blackness as he shot several energy balls and Kamehameha Waves at them. But then, as if realizing that he was resisting, even more dark ropes emerged from the hole, and this time one caught the large Saiyajin by the leg.

"AAH!" Goku tried to tug his leg away, and powered up a ki blast in his hand…

…before he suddenly stopped, a strange, almost tranquil look overcoming his face as the black material seeped past his clothing and into his skin.

"Goku-san!" Sachiko could only watch in horror as the rope _covered_ Goku's leg, _covered_ his body and arms, _covered _his face until his entire form was nothing but a black mass identical to what was spewing on the ground. And then, when every single inch of the Saiyajin's body was covered, the ropes sucked him into the hole, and Goku disappeared from their sight.

The blackness disappeared, leaving no trace of what happened in the green grass.

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

**Sachiko: …**

**Kargo: …**

**Jiro: …**

**Sachiko: WAAAAAAAAAAAAAH! Goku-san LOST!**

**Kargo: This is a mockery. A travesty! HOW COULD THIS HAPPEN?**

**Jiro:…**

**Kargo: This is all your fault, rich boy! ALL YOUR FAULT!**

**Sachiko: GOKU-SAN LOST!**

**Jiro: …**

**Kargo: BAH! Read and review…**


	54. Allies Redefined

Hideaki: Our author does not own the Dragonball franchise, nor does she own _Far Far Away Idol_. But today, she has a special treat for you all! (snaps fingers, and_ American Idol_ theme music suddenly plays)

Random Audience Member #1: (pales in horror) Oh my god. You can't seriously mean…

Hideaki: Yup! (to the audience) Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the first ever edition of _West City Idol…Rebirth of the Dragon _style! I'm your beautiful, glamorous, super intelligent host Hideaki Kutai, and tonight's episode features the debut of several well known old and new characters reaching for the star of…um…stardom!

Random Audience Member #2: Is Android Eighteen one of them?

Hideaki: NO, YOU SICK JERK! …well, maybe. I don't have the full list yet. But now, let me introduce the judges! Our first judge is that perverted old man who will never find a girlfriend…everyone, please welcome Master Roshi!

Master Roshi: (slightly drunk on sake) Yo yo yo, my homies! Give it up for the old school! And ladies, I am absolutely, positively available! Oh yeah! (hiccups)

Hideaki: Ewwww. Next up, we have the seemingly undefeatable, but oh-so adorable man who has won our hearts since his first appearance in Dragonball! You all know him, you all love him…give a round of applause for Goku Son!

Goku: Hiya! How's everybody doing?

Hideaki: We're all doing fine, Goku. Please stay in your seat, and try not to eat the Pillsbury Dough Boy. TURMOIL's only borrowing him for the month, and we sort of need to return him alive…and undigested.

Goku: (cheeks full of Pillsbury Dough Boy) Awwww!

Dough Boy: (sticks one weak hand out of Goku's mouth) H-help…me…whoo-hoo!

Hideaki: And last but not least, we have the Prince of all Saiyajins, Vegeta! Yaaaaay!

Vegeta: Why am I here? This ridiculous competition is a waste of time and space! YOU, woman, are a waste of time and space! I hate you! I hate everyone! Why are you even talking to me? Get on with this pathetic show so I can get out of here and on with my life, you miserable excuse for a Bulma-clone!

Hideaki: HEY! I am not a Bulma-clone! Just because I look like her, sort of act like her, and have some of her characteristics does not mean that… (pauses in realization) …oh.

Vegeta: (smirks smugly) Hah. I'll give you credit…you accepted the truth much faster than your idiot brother.

Hideaki: …let's just introduce out first contestant. First up, we have Kargo, with the song _Disco Inferno_!

Kargo: (singing) _The heat was on, rising to the top, huh! Everybody's goin' strong (uhu hu hu)… and that is when my spark got hot…I heard somebody say burn baby burn! Disco inferno! Burn baby burn! Burn that mama down, yoh!_

Jiro: (sneaks up behind Kargo and sets back of Kargo's hoodie on fire)

Vegeta: You're on fire, Namek.

Kargo: (thinks he is receiving a compliment) _Burn baby burn! Disco inferno, yeeeeeeeah!_

Goku: No, Kargo! You're really on fire!

Kargo: (finally realizes that his shirt is on fire) OH SHIT! AAAAAAAGGGH! (runs off stage)

Hideaki: …ah. Well, judges? What do you have to say about Kargo's performance?

Master Roshi: (hiccups drunkenly) …I…LOVED IT! That was smokin', dog! Literally!

Goku: Well, I thought it was great and really entertaining until he started screaming and running around like a headless chicken. Mmm. Headless chicken. Headless _fried _chicken. (drools)

Vegeta: Kakarrot, have some self control! Do you want to know what I thought? I thought that performance was terrible! Not only did the Namek's singing make my ears bleed, but I think he has a violent tendency towards arson! He will never have my support! Never! And that pathetic boy whom people suspect of being my descendant will never have my support either!

Goku: Huh? Who're you talking about, Vegeta? Our descendant is Sachiko, and she's a girl.

Vegeta: (eye twitches) Kakarrot, do you even read the chapters of this blasphemous story?

Goku: (twiddles thumbs) Um, I read some _words_, but…

Hideaki: (slaps hand to face) Never mind! Well, Kargo, you heard the judges. Soak in what they said, okay? Anyway, it's time for a commercial break! Next up, we'll have Frieza singing "I'm a Barbie Girl"!

Vegeta: BOO! BOOOOOO! I HATE HIM! HE SUCKS! BOOOOOOOOOO!

Frieza: (from backstage) SHUT UP, MONKEY!

_**Chapter Fifty-Four: Allies Redefined**_

_Everything will be alright, because this is all just a bad dream._

"Sachiko? Sachiko!"

"Is she okay?"

"I don't know…"

_None of this is happening. Goku-san didn't lose. I'm still asleep underneath my covers at home, and there is no crazy person called Tsu trying to catch me and Kargo and Jiro. Soon, Grandfather will wake me up for our early-morning training, and Okaasan will give me a kiss on the cheek before leaving for her police duties in the city. Maybe I'll visit Kargo at the tower. His birthday's coming up._

"Damn it, Sachiko! Snap out of it!"

_Yup, I wanna wake up now. I wanna wake up. Someone's shaking me…is it Grandfather? But why can't I wake up? Why am I still here? Please…let me wake up! This…this can't be happening! I know this can't be happening! IT'S TOO HORRIBLE TO BE REAL!_

"SACHIKO! Damn it you idiot! Wake up!"

Strong hands grabbed her shoulders and shook her frantically, almost making her neck dislocate from the sheer amount of force that was being used. Jerking herself back into reality, she tried to see through her disoriented vision and managed to catch a glimpse of a very worried looking Kargo and Jiro in front of her, with Hideaki standing behind them nervously.

_Oh no. I wasn't dreaming. That means…NO!_

Sachiko yanked away from the boys and stared at them with wide, horrified eyes. "W-where's Goku-san?" she stammered, her voice coming out in a frightened whisper. "W-where did he go? Is he in the bathroom taking a tinkle? He's taking a tinkle, right? He's still here with us, tinkling away…_ right?_"

"Sachi…" Kargo stared at her, concern etched in every line of his green face. "What are you saying? Goku's gone…he lost…"

"No! You're lying!" Sachiko covered her ears and shut her eyes tightly. "That isn't true! That didn't happen! Goku-san can't lose…we need him!"

Jiro scowled at Sachiko in frustration. "Damn it, Sachiko, this isn't the time to go nuts! We still have to figure out what to do now!"

Sachiko's eyes tore open at the sound of Jiro's voice. Jiro. Goku. They had been in a match. Jiro had shot a ki blast at Goku and… no, not Goku. It had ended up heading towards that city person, MoshiMoshi, and Goku had tried to save her, only to end up touching the ground outside the ring—

Jiro. He had—it was his—it was all his—IT WAS ALL HIS—

"JIRO!" Sachiko shrieked, pounding her fists against the older boy's chest in an uncharacteristic fit of rage. "Why, Jiro? Why? How could you let that happen?"

"Sachiko!' Hideaki stared at her in shock, her eyes widening. "Calm down! Jiro didn't _let _anything happen!"

"Hideaki, you knew it too!" Sachiko exclaimed angrily. "You knew we couldn't win without Goku-san! We can't beat Tsu without him; he was our only chance! But Jiro still…still…" Sachiko trailed off, unable to finish as she forced herself to bite down the rest of her words.

She couldn't get angry now. She _couldn't_. She hardly ever got angry at another person and she knew that this was neither the place nor time to start, but with the current stakes higher than ever before and with the odds now stacked impossibly against them, she was no longer able to pretend that everything was alright.

She couldn't get angry, but she couldn't ignore what was happening around her anymore.

Because everything was going so very, very wrong.

_Please,_ she begged silently in her mind. _Please, Jiro. Tell me you didn't mean for any of this to happen. It's not your fault, right? I'm sorry I yelled at you. Please, just tell me that everything will be okay! Tell me we can save Goku-san…_

Unfortunately, Jiro was not sharing the same mindset. After hearing the small girl's heated words, the older boy had simply stared at Sachiko with wide eyes, stunned and completely caught off-guard by her sudden temperament. But it was only for a moment, and within seconds his blue irises bore icily into her gold ones. "What are you trying to say, Sachiko?" he spat coldly, advancing on her as she stared back at him with large, accusing eyes. "Are you blaming _me_ for what happened to that big, stupid oaf?"

"She's not saying anything like that, you jerk!" Hideaki yelled, stepping in between the two as she forced them to stand apart at arm's distance. "Don't be so damn paranoid, Jiro! She's just a little upset at what happened…hell, we all are! But we can't start arguing with each other now! It's no one's fault, understand?"

Kargo snorted in disbelief. "_I_ actually do think that it's rich boy's fault, Hideaki."

"Kargo, you're not helping! Sachiko…" Hideaki turned to the small girl and took her hand pleadingly. "Sachiko, you know it's not Jiro's fault. I mean, in the end, either he or Goku had to lose! And look at the bright side! Now Goku knows where Tsu is! Heck, the big guy's probably kicking Tsu's butt as we speak! There's no way the old creep can keep him locked up! But…you don't blame Jiro for what happened…right?"

Silence.

"RIGHT?"

Sachiko didn't answer. Instead, she turned her gaze to the side, but Jiro saw the downcast look on her face and it told him more than he wanted to know.

"I don't believe this," he muttered, running a hand through his hair as he stepped around his sister and stared down at Sachiko. "What the hell do you want from me?" The human teen grabbed her by the shoulders and tightened his grip on her smaller frame. "What do you want me to say? What do you want me to do? I can't bring Goku back! I can't!"

"I never asked you to bring him back," Sachiko replied testily.

"Then what is it, huh? What do you _want_ from me?" His voice grew louder and louder, until it rose to a near perfect scream. "Stop it. Stop it! Just _stop_! Stop looking at me like I committed a goddamn murder and tell me what the _fuck_ it is you want from me!"

"Don't you yell at her!" Kargo roared, grabbing Jiro by the arm and yanking him away from Sachiko, who looked as if she was about to burst into tears. "Damn it, thanks to you we're all gonna die anyway—the least you could do is let us die with as little emotional trauma as possible!"

Jiro snarled and shoved the Namek boy away from him, his pent-up rage finally breaking through his badly contained frustration. "Who asked you for your goddamn opinion anyway? Who the hell said that we were gonna die? We haven't lost the tournament yet, you stupid freak! Just because we lost Goku doesn't mean we lost the whole fucking world!"

"Oh no?" Kargo snorted in Jiro's face, not caring that they were still supposed to be allies, not caring that them arguing and turning on each other was exactly what Tsu wanted. "Have you completely blocked out the last twenty minutes, rich boy? We lost Goku! Even if he _is _with Tsu now, don't you think we would have gotten some word from him that he's okay? I mean, he knows instant-freaking-transmission! He would have teleported out of whatever hellhole Tsu's in to get back to us…if he _could_!"

"Maybe he's beating up the old man right now, freak! Ever think of that? And who knows? Maybe Tsu's in a place that blocks ki, just like that damn base he had us trapped in before!"

"You just don't get it, do you?" Kargo yelled, shoving his enraged face towards Jiro until their noses were only inches apart. "We wouldn't have to be shitting our pants right now if you hadn't been so fucking stubborn! If you had just forfeited, none of this would have happened—"

"WHAT?" Jiro looked up at this harsh accusation, his ice blue eyes suddenly becoming ten degrees colder as he hissed, "Forfeit? Are you out of your fucking mind? Why would I become Tsu's bitch on _purpose_? If you were in my situation, you would have done the exact same thing I did!"

"Of course I _wouldn't_!" The Namek boy pulled away from Jiro and crossed his arms in front of his chest with a snarl. "I'm not a selfish asshole like you! I would have willingly laid my life on the line! Goku was our best shot, and now he's gone! And do you know why, rich boy? It's because of you! IT'S ALL YOUR _**FUCKING**_ _**FAULT**_, YOU JACKASS!"

"STOP IT!" Hideaki leapt into the middle of the fray just as the boys were about to charge at one another, using her own body as an obstacle to force Kargo and Jiro apart. "We don't have time for this!" she yelled, keeping a firm hold on the boys' arms as they sent each other hate-filled, murderous glares. "Goku's gone, and no one is more upset about that than I am. But this isn't the time to start killing each other!"

"You're wrong, sis," Jiro retorted angrily. "This is the _perfect_ time to start killing each another! That freak's insulting me for a mistake that Goku made on his own—"

"He wouldn't have had to make that mistake if you had just forfeited in the first place!" Kargo snapped, his eye twitching slightly when Jiro merely gave him the finger in response. "Oh that's real mature, rich boy! But I don't think that giving Tsu the finger will secure us the victory!"

"THAT'S IT! YOU'RE DEAD!"

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

As Jiro spat out a slew of curses that made even the nearby Men in Black shriek with horror, Sachiko, who had not said a word up until that point, bit her bottom lip and walked away from the group, heading towards the lounge as she tried not to jump into the argument herself. Her shoulders tensed further when she heard Kargo add his own mix of angry, derogatory words to Jiro's rant, and she tried to block everything out.

She should have just kept her mouth shut. Now Kargo and Jiro were going viciously at each other's throats because she couldn't contain her anger for even one second.

_And it wasn't even really Jiro's fault. I'm a terrible person. Wait, I got it! I'll apologize to him as soon as he stops fighting with Kargo-kun! …that should give me enough time to get a snack. And go potty. I wonder where Kikai-san went?_

So lost in her thoughts was she that Sachiko bumped rather rudely into a woman—but because of her superior strength, the woman was knocked to the ground in complete disarray, while Sachiko herself was only pushed back slightly. _Oops…huh. Color me insane, but that felt strangely familiar…_

"Ow! Wha' in the blue blazes o' hell is goin' on around here?" the woman cried. She pushed her blue wool cap away from her goggle-covered eyes, glaring at her offender…when her gaze fell upon Sachiko and promptly proceeded to widen to the size of dinner plates. "Little Baby?"

"Huh?" Sachiko blinked at the woman for a split-second. "Why are you calling me a baby? Do I know you? You seem really familiar, miss…" And then, a light bulb went off in the small girl's head as she finally recognized the woman before her. "Oh!" Sachiko squealed and hugged the merchant around neck. "Vhana-san! It's you!"

"In the flesh, lassie!" Vhana grinned and hugged the little girl back. "I ken no' believe it! I heard, but I did no' think ya would really enter the Tenkaichi Budokai! Little Baby, I'm so happy ta see ya again!"

Sachiko giggled, her earlier depression instantly being pushed to the back of her mind as she looked up at Vhana with a shy smile. "Vhana-san, what are you doing here? Are you one of the, um—" Sachiko racked her head for the right word "—speck-tae-tors?"

"Well, I did no' buy a seat for nothin', lass," Vhana replied cheerfully, standing up and dusting off her baggy, navy blue outfit. "But thanks ta yeh an' yer friends winnin' the Shigaisen Brawl-Out, I've been livin' quite comfortable! I've money ta spare, and I've even been able ta buy seats to this here tourney for some friends o' yers!"

"Huh?" Sachiko blinked and tilted her head to the side curiously. "What'cha mean? Kargo, Jiro, and Hideaki are already here, and they didn't need tickets…"

"No, no! Little Baby, I mean—"

Suddenly, a loud, haughty voice floated towards Sachiko and Vhana. "Hey! City woman! Have you found her yet? Are you in the lounge?"

"Ayu, my precious daughter," came a softer, more timid male voice, "you really shouldn't talk to the woman with such disrespect…"

"Tousan, be quiet! Let me handle this!"

"Yes dear…"

"Ayu?" Sachiko's mouth fell open in surprise as Ayu, miko of the Susanoo villages, walked into the fighters' lounge. The twelve-year-old girl, who was being followed by her timid father, Kai, gave Vhana an annoyed stare and opened her mouth to say something (most likely derogatory and prejudiced against the city type) when she suddenly froze at the sight of the still gaping Sachiko.

"Miko Muzai…" Ayu stopped several feet away from Sachiko, not wanting to come closer to the younger girl than necessary. "Um…hi."

"Hi, Ayu!" Sachiko grinned and waved at the miko, before turning to Kai. "Hi, Kai-san! How are you today, sir?"

"Eeeek!" Kai squeaked in fright and hid behind Ayu, shivering and refusing to even look in Sachiko's direction. "Ayu, sweetie, I'm scared…"

"Tousan, be a man!" Ayu hissed at her father. She then turned to the now very confused Sachiko and said coldly, "Miko Muzai, have you exorcised that demon? I will not allow you to leave my sight if you haven't!"

"Huh?" Sachiko cocked her head to the side. "Demon? What'cha talking about, Ayu? I don't know anything about any demons." She turned to Vhana. "Vhana-san, have you seen any demons?"

Vhana shrugged and adjusted her goggles. "I dun know nothin' about no demons, Little Baby. Unless yer talking about the creature tha' killed an' ate meh kin, I cannot answer yeh."

"Fudgesickles." Sachiko crossed her arms and gave the older miko a childish pout. "I don't know, Ayu. There doesn't seem to be any demons around here. Why? Did you see one after we left your village? Oh! Wait!" The little girl then gasped, and stared at Ayu worriedly. "Hold on a minute! Ayu, are your village elders alright? And your mother! Where is she? Why isn't she here with you? Is she okay?"

"W-what?" Ayu and Kai exchanged nervous looks, before Kai asked quietly, "Um…miko Muzai…do you remember what happened during the last day of my daughter's challenge to you?"

"What does _that_ have to do with anything?" Sachiko cried out, becoming frustrated and all the more concerned for the fate of the beautiful head priestess. "Please, Ayu…tell me how Yuka-sama's doing! I—" Sachiko gulped nervously "—I honestly don't remember much of what happened the last day. I—I don't remember how or why my friends and I left the village, but the last thing I _do _remember was that the village was being attacked…"

"Attacked?" Vhana cut in, her eyes wide as she stared from Ayu to Sachiko and then back to Ayu again. "Hold the phone, lassies…are ya tellin' meh that yer villages were tha' ones attacked by those thugs an' hooligans?"

"…"

Neither Sachiko nor Ayu found the will to answer the merchant's question. Instead, Ayu turned to Sachiko and said in a low, soft voice, "My mother is fine, miko Muzai. She's back at the village, watching over our people. She recovered from her wounds a long time ago."

"Really? Thank the gods!" Sachiko let out a sigh of relief, and smiled at the older girl. "I prayed to Lady Amaterasu for both of our villages every day! I'm so happy that Yuka-sama is okay!"

"Miko Muzai…" Ayu stared at the smiling young girl in front of her, unsure of what to say for two very good reasons. The first reason was that she had never, ever wanted to face Sachiko again, especially not after seeing the berserk creature that the girl had turned into before her very eyes.

The few children who did live in the villages still had nightmares from the memory of the cracked face, the black and gold eyes, and the seemingly endless killing, blood, and tortured _screams_. Ayu herself couldn't get that day out of her head. While it was true that Sachiko's transformation had saved the Susanoo villages, there had been a very high probability that she would have killed _them_ had the green boy and the city brat with the vulgar tongue not subdued her in time.

That was the first reason. The first reason alone would have made her wary about seeing Sachiko again.

But the second reason…the more personal, more important reason (to her, anyway), was due to the event that had put her family against the Muzais in the first place. The event that had been the core of her argument against Sachiko, the very reason she had challenged the little girl in the first place.

Gohan the Third and Akiko. Sachiko's great-great grandfather and her great-great grandmother. Supposedly, Gohan the Third and Ayu had met a hundred years ago. Supposedly, they had fallen in love. Supposedly, Gohan the Third had taken advantage of this love to commit the ultimate violation of a miko—he had tricked Akiko into letting him deflower her and had taken her virginity. Then he had simply disappeared, marrying someone else and shaming Akiko and all of her descendants for many years to come.

That was what Ayu had been told ever since she had been a little girl. That was her mother's truth, and for many years it had been hers as well.

And then, just like that, everything changed. Only days after miko Muzai's departure from her village, her father had stepped forward, revealing what _he_ knew of the event, revealing _his _truth. Her father had taken her aside, looking more lost and afraid then ever, and when he was sure that they were alone, he had given her several letters written by Gohan the Third, several notes written by Akiko, and ripped out parchments that had once been part of Akiko's journal.

"I'm sorry," her father had whimpered, watching in sorrow as Ayu read the letters and parchments with a horrified look on her face. "I couldn't show this to your mother. This would kill her, you know that! But this hatred…it has to stop! The truth can't be distorted anymore! It's not fair…not fair to the Muzais, and certainly not fair to us…"

From her father's records, Gohan the Third…had been a complete idiot. A moron. A nincompoop. In fact, until Ayu had read the letters, she had not known _anyone_ who was capable of being that stupid. Apparently, Gohan didn't even understand what a "wedding" was, let alone the complex traditions of a feudal village, and when one took into account Gohan's stupidity, the deflowering had to be—

Ayu clenched her fists, trying not to think about the implications. However…she could no longer feel any semblance of genuine hatred towards Sachiko. That didn't mean she was going to apologize to the girl, for Ayu still wasn't sure if she believed her father's version of the events over her mother's, but…she couldn't bring herself to openly slander the little girl if what her father had shown her was indeed the truth.

_Stupid honor, stupid duty, stupid sense of justice…_

"Ayu?"

"Wha…?" The older miko blinked and looked down, where Sachiko was staring up at her in concern. "What is it, miko Muzai? And stop staring at me like that, you're making me nervous."

"Sorry," Sachiko replied, a smile quickly pushing past her lips. "It's just that you looked like you were staring at something far away, but all you can see in the stadium are other people and the Men in Black, and they're not really that far away, and—"

"Miko Muzai," Ayu interrupted, covering the small girl's mouth with her hand, "I'm fine. Really. I came here because I wanted to see how…how you were doing." That statement wasn't a total lie—Ayu really did want to see how Sachiko was doing, and whether or not the demon within Sachiko had been expelled. So far, it certainly seemed that the monster was gone. As a sudden, loud cry from the stadium echoed its way to the lounge, Ayu sighed, allowing a serious, grim expression to come over her face. "But on a more urgent matter, I came here because I heard that those terrible city weapons were spotted here."

"Yeh mean them blasters tha' the coppers are holdin'?" Vhana said suddenly, leaning against a nearby wall as she stared curiously at the older miko. "I did a bit o' research on tha'. It seems tha' only a few coppers got those guns, an' I ken no' find any sources as to where they got tha' kind o' gun."

Ayu frowned, ignoring Vhana as she continued to speak to Sachiko. "Miko Muzai, I'm sure you're aware of the implications of this. That's why you're here, right? That's why you entered the tournament, right? You know as well as I do that the person responsible for brutalizing our homes is somewhere in this tournament!"

"Ya don't have ta ignore me, lass," Vhana muttered, looking a bit hurt at being brush off. "I was just tellin' ya what I know."

"Tousan, take this city woman away!" Ayu snapped in irritation, taking Sachiko by the arm and steering her away from Vhana. "She's a bad influence to begin with!"

"Bad—who are ya callin' a bad influence, ya uptight lass?" Vhana shrieked, straining to get to Ayu as Kai did his best to restrain the merchant. "I got nothin' against them feudal folk! I never did nothin' ta ya! Hell, I even brought them stadum tickets for ya and yer father, and THIS is how yeh repay meh? Let meh go, yeh great prune!" Vhana began to slap Kai hard upside the head, trying to get him off her.

"Ayu, that was mean!" Sachiko protested, tugging weakly at her arm as she looked back at the clearly upset merchant who had now resorted to fully taking her anger out on the poor, timid priest. "Vhana-san might not be from the villages, but she's still really nice!"

"NICE?" Ayu snorted aloud. "Miko Muzai, you are far too trusting of outsiders! The city people don't give a damn about us, even though _we_ are the ones who send them our crops, even though it is we who send them the woven wool and fabric that they need for their precious, spoiled lifestyles!"

"But Ayu!"

"Enough, miko Muzai! We can talk elsewhere…this stadium is giving me the creeps. Eep!" The brown-haired miko suddenly halted in her tracks, looking up into the annoyed blue eyes of Kikai Ichihatsu. "W-who are you?"

"None of your business," Kikai stated coldly, before she turned to Sachiko with a frustrated scowl. "Where were you? When I got back to the stadium, the idiot Vegeta-clone was trying to strangle the Namek, and you were gone. You caused me unnecessary worry."

"Kikai-san…" Sachiko pulled out of Ayu's hold and walked over to the blonde woman, sniffing once before she wailed and buried her face against the soft material of Kikai's white sweater. "Waaaaaaaaaah! Kikai-san, what do we do now? Goku-san's gone!"

"And I'm well aware of that, kid," Kikai said flatly, although her hand lightly ran through Sachiko's dark blue hair as a small act of comfort. "Tsu has us in a corner now. We have to tread softly. That's why I've been trying to think of a counter-strategy to this, and I think I might have an idea."

"R-really?" Sachiko pulled back and stared at Kikai with wide, luminous eyes. "You have a plan, Kikai-san? That's great! So we won't lose after all?"

Kikai frowned. "I never said that we wouldn't lose. If something goes wrong, we might all _die_."

"Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah! NOOOOO!"

"Which is why I took the time to capture _him_," Kikai went on, walking to the lounge entryway and dragging in a very disheveled, slightly trembling Ke. The sixteen-year-old had his face turned to the floor, averting his hair-covered eyes from everyone in the room.

"Ke-kun! What the…" Sachiko rushed towards her friend and took his hands in hers, much to the disapproval of Ayu and Kikai. "Ke-kun, what's going on? Please tell me…is Goku-san alright? Do you know where he is?"

Ke didn't answer. Instead, he merely shook his head and lowered his gaze even further to the floor. Sachiko dropped his hands and gave him a sadden look of despair.

"Oh, Ke-kun! Why? Why did you join that icky-head Tsu? _Why_?"

"Forget it, Sachiko," Kikai muttered, pulling Sachiko away from the broken down teenager. "He won't talk about that. I asked him again and again, and he wouldn't open his mouth about Tsu. But—" here, Kikai grimaced "—he _does _know where Goku is being held. Why the big, stupid idiot hasn't tried to escape yet is beyond me, but Ke told me that he knows where Goku is."

"So…so we can try to break him out?" Sachiko exclaimed, her eyes lighting up in excitement.

"Exactly."

Ayu cocked her head to the side. She had absolutely no idea of what was going on…and who was this Tsu person, anyway? And this Goku guy?

"We do have a few problems, though," Kikai went on, her eyes wandering from Sachiko to Ayu as she took both of their appearances critically. "Apparently, Goku is being held at that giant building on the other side of Island 1. We have to be able to leave the stadium without Tsu noticing we're gone, and unfortunately, I don't know instant transmission." Kikai then looked at her own body, and thought back to the merchant woman who was beating up a priest outside the lounge.

The excitement in Sachiko's eyes died down. "Oh…"

Kikai sighed, and placed a hand on the top of Sachiko's head, causing the little girl to look up at her in surprise. "There's yet another problem," the blonde woman said slowly, knowing that Sachiko wouldn't like what she was about to say. "The third match had been determined just a few minutes ago. The match is Piccolo…versus Kargo."

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

**Kargo: …NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! I don't wanna face my dad! I don't wanna face my daaaaaaaaaaaaad! And honestly, I don't think we can rescue Goku. I mean, with our bad luck streak, you just KNOW that something's gonna pop up around the corner...**

**Vegeta: Oh, quit being a baby, Namek! We still have a show to run!**

**Goku: That's right! I wanna see Frieza sing the Barbie song! Hit it, maestro!**

**Vegeta: I'm surprised you even know what "maestro" means…**

**Goku: Ahahaha! …it's a food, right?**

**Vegeta: (facepalms)**

**Frieza: (singing terribly off-key) **_**Ooooooh, I'm a Barbie Girl! In a Barbie woooooorld…wrapped in plastic! It's fantastic! You can touch my hair—**_

**Vegeta: YOU DON'T HAVE HAIR!**

**Frieza: **_**Undress me everywhere!**_

**Vegeta: (scarred for life) Oh god, NO! (Takes out remote control and pushes a red button, causing a trapdoor to open under Frieza)**

**Frieza: (falls through trapdoor) WHAT? AAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGggggggggghhh…**

**Vegeta: Ah. Good riddance to bad rubbish.**

**Goku: Vegeta! That was mean!**

**Vegeta: No, that was incredibly **_**gay**_**.**

**Goku: …**

**Roshi: (snores drunkenly)**

**Hideaki: …okay. Now, our next participants are Krillen and Eighteen, with their performance of "Sugar Sugar" …which is coming up in the next chapter!**

**Goku: Aww! I hate cliffhangers!**

**Vegeta: Well, I hate pointless, boring chapters! And I hate waiting an eternity for another chapter! So you readers out there, slap this pathetic author into writing decent chapters at a faster pace! Go on! Slap her!**

**Goku: Vegeta! She might not own us, but we still should be nice to her!**

**Vegeta: Stop being such a pansy, Kakarrot! You see, this is why it took me so many episodes to respect you! Bah, you're infuriating!**


	55. Last Ditch Effort

Hideaki: (dressed as Nico Robin from _One Piece_) TURMOIL-san does not own any part of the Dragonball franchise, _One Piece_, or anything related to _Far Far Away/American Idol_. But now…on with the show! (snaps fingers, _American Idol_ music plays from background)

Random Audience Member #2: Noooooo! Not this crap again!

Hideaki: You don't like it? Too bad for you! Everyone, welcome back to the second episode of _West City Idol…Rebirth of the Dragon_ style! Again, I am your beautiful, perfect, incredibly intelligent host, Hideaki Kutai, and—

Random Audience Member #2: Why? WHY?

Hideaki: (sweatdrops) Oh, shut up! It's in the script, damn it! Anyway, this is the special Halloween-slash-American-Idol episode…and our second Halloween "Start-Up" session in general! Plus, we're all dressed up as _One Piece_ characters! Booyah!

Goku: (dressed as Monkey D. Luffy) HOO-RAY! I get to be a judge again!

Vegeta: (dressed as…Roronoa Zoro) Hmph! As if there's any merit to being a part of this pathetic excuse of a story!

Hideaki: Hey, Vegeta, do you really think you should be wearing that costume? I mean, in _One Piece_, Roronoa is pretty loyal to Luffy. And…um…you and Goku aren't exactly…um… (stares nervously at Goku)

Goku: :3

Vegeta: (scowls) SHUT UP! I had nothing to do with this outfit! The stupid author-woman wanted me to wear this!

Hideaki: But Vegeta, you can't just blame—

Vegeta: Would you just HURRY UP with the next contestant, already? I WANT TO LEAVE THIS GODFORSAKEN PLACE AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE!

Hideaki: FINE, YOU JERK! (growls at Vegeta, then turns to audience with sweet expression) Coming up, we have Krillin and Eighteen, singing a duet of the song, "Sugar Sugar" and…oh…my… (stares at stage with bulging eyes)

Goku: Hideaki? What's wrong? (looks at empty judge's chair to his left) Hey, Vegeta? Where's Master Roshi anyway?

Vegeta: (staring at stage, pointing in horror) K-K-K-Kakarrot…

Goku: (looks at stage) Huh? What's…EEEK! O.O

Roshi: (naked and swaying drunkenly on stage) Yeeeeeeeeeah! I'm, too sh-mexy for my shiiiiiirt, too sh-mexy for my shiiiiiiiiiiirt, so sh-mexy it huuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuurts!

Hideaki and Vegeta: MY EYES! MY EARS! THEY BOTH BLEED!

Roshi: And I'm a model, ya know wha' I meeeeean! And I shake my little tush on the—ACK! (falls through trap door) THIS…IS…SPARTA!

Vegeta: (twitching, his finger pressed HARD against the remote control button for trapdoor) …I never…want to see that…again.

Goku: …

Hideaki: …well, that was a royal waste of time. I almost went blind and deaf and possibly mute because my throat now hurts from screaming so much! Damn it, now we have to wait until the "Wind-Down" for Eighteen and Krillin's performance! AND we have to find a new judge! Goddamn perverted turtle hermit!

Sachiko: (pops up in Roshi's seat, dressed as Aisa) HI, Goku-san! Happy Holly-ween! :D

Goku: HI, Sachi-chan! Happy Holly-ween! :D

Hideaki: Perfect! Sachiko-chan, you're our newest third judge!

Sachiko: YAAAAY! I'm a judge! …um, Hideaki? What's a judge? Is it like fudge? Because I'm kinda hungry.

Goku: Yeah, I'm kinda hungry too. Bring out the fudge!

Sachiko: Yeah! Fudge!

Vegeta: (pales) O_o Oh my god. NO! She's exactly like Kakarrot! She's a female clone of KAKARROT! I can understand a clone of myself and Bulma. But KAKARROT? WHY?

Goku: Oh yeah! Vegeta, you've never met Sachi-chan officially in the story, right? Say hi!

Sachiko: (gives cutest shy smile) Hiiiiii, Vegeta-san.

Vegeta: …BAH! The cuteness! It burns! Get it away!

Goku: …

Sachiko: …

Hideaki: …let's just…start the chapter now.

_**Chapter Fifty-Five: Last Ditch Effort**_

Kargo knew his father better than anyone. As the current heir to a long line of Namekian guardians, Kargo had lived his entire twelve—no, almost thirteen—years of life with Piccolo the Seventh, a.k.a the guardian of the Earth, a.k.a his son-of-a-bitching-bastard father. Of course, whether or not he actually _liked_ Piccolo was an entirely different question…but Kargo knew, albeit reluctantly, when something was wrong with the older Namek.

And in this particular case, things were as bad as they could possibly get.

_Dad…_

Piccolo, with his metallic strip and all, had finally entered the stadium grounds once the third match had been determined, although Kargo didn't know why the tournament was still being held. A majority of the spectators had abandoned their seats from terror after Goku had been sucked into the black hole, and those who remained were sitting mostly in the back seats with the most daring seated only at the middle sections.

But when Piccolo had appeared, even the most daring were scared stiff at the sight of the cold, emotionless, almost mechanical expression on his face, and in truth, Kargo found himself wanting to run away as well. He wanted to run away, hide in a place where no one could find him, and never come back.

No. Wait. First he would tell Sachiko to come with him. _Then_ they could hide together in a place where no one could find them, and never come back.

He stared at his father in dismay, but Piccolo didn't even glance in Kargo's direction. The look in the older Namek's black eyes, once full of sternness, vitality, and fatherly concern, were replaced by absolute emptiness. There was absolutely no remnant of the Piccolo that Kargo had grown up with, and in a few moments he would be forced to fight this imposter and win, or else he would become yet another one of Tsu's prisoners.

_Damn that masked asshole_, Kargo thought heatedly._ Damn that nutty old bat! Why won't he just leave us alone?_

"Kargo-kun!"

A thump against his side, coupled with small, familiar arms tightly encircling his waist made his face grow warm despite the terrible circumstances. "Hey, Sachi," he greeted quietly, looking down to find a pair of golden eyes staring worriedly back up at him as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "Where did you disappear to? I got scared for a few minutes, you know…and I think rich boy and Hideaki's looking for you."

"I was with Kikai-san," Sachiko murmured, glancing at the silent and unresponsive Piccolo who was standing by the edge of the ring, staring off into space. "Kargo-kun, I don't like this! This is Piccolo-san we're talking about!"

Kargo's lips twisted into a bitter smile. "I know. Tsu's a crafty son-of-a-bitch, isn't he? Pitting me up against the old man like this…" The Namek boy then let out a snort. "Joke's on him, though. I hate my dad. I have absolutely no regrets about kicking his ass from here to New Namek."

"You shouldn't say that about your Tousan," Sachiko scolded, her bottom lip jutting out in a small pout. "It's not his fault he's like this."

"Well, it's not gonna stop him from trying to kill me…" Kargo trailed off when his father finally looked in his direction. Piccolo's blank, emotionless eyes staring directly into his own and Kargo actually felt himself trembling when the corners of the older Namek's mouth twitched ever so slightly.

Sachiko felt Kargo shiver in her arms and tightened her embrace in an attempt to comfort him. "Don't worry. We'll get him back, Kargo-kun! We'll get both him and Goku-san back, because Kikai-san has a plan!"

"Plan?" Kargo gave Sachiko a curious stare. "What plan? What're you talking about?"

"Well—" Sachiko began, only to get cut off when a slightly older girl dressed in the traditional miko robes suddenly appeared from the direction of the Fighters' Lounge, with her hands on her hips and a rather sour look on her face.

"A-AYU?" Kargo gawked, his eyes nearly bulging out of his head when he finally recognized who the girl was. What was _she_ doing here? _Why_ was she here?

"Miko Muzai," Ayu grumbled when she finally reached them, "please come back to the lounge. Kikai-san has just dragged that foul-mouthed city boy and his scientist sister in there, and the boy is being most uncooperative—oh no." The Susanoo miko's eyes narrowed even further in displeasure when her gaze fell on Kargo, who was still holding Sachiko. "So now you're with _him_? Oh gods, at least the foul-mouthed city boy is more attractive to the eye…are your standards falling low, miko Muzai?"

"…" Kargo had to bite his tongue to prevent himself from lashing out at the Susanoo miko. "What are you doing here, Ayu?" he asked in a strained, would-be calm voice. "_Why_ are you here? Haven't you caused enough misplaced misery in our lives?"

"Kargo-kun, calm down!" Sachiko exclaimed nervously. "Ayu's really, really nice now! She's not mean like she was before!"

"I wasn't mean!" Ayu protested, sweatdropping slightly at Sachiko's words.

Kargo, however, ignored Sachiko and pulled her behind him protectively. "Sachi-chan, you're too trusting! Don't you remember how much she insulted you and hurt you back at the Susanoo villages? She might be here to challenge you again! Well, I won't let her!" Baring his fangs at Ayu, he angrily growled, "Go home, Ayu! We don't have time for this! We have enough crap to worry about without you adding to our problems!"

"Grr…" Ayu's eye twitched, but she forced herself to swallow down her anger and turned stiffly to Sachiko. "Miko Muzai, come on. Kikai-san told me to bring you and the green one to the lounge."

"Huh?" Sachiko blinked curiously at Ayu as Kargo cocked his heads to the side. "But what about the match, Ayu? Piccolo-san is waiting for us right there and it would be rude to keep him waiting!"

"GAH!" Both Kargo and Ayu fell face-first onto the ground, while Sachiko watched the two with a look of increasing confusion on her face.

"S-Sachi-chan," Kargo groaned as he slowly peeled his face from the floor, "I really don't think that my dad cares about manners and punctuality right now…"

"But he always used to care before! He used to lecture us about them over and over and over again before Tsu turned him into that weird monster thing—oooooh. Oh yeah!" Sachiko laughed nervously as she threw a quick glance towards Piccolo. "He's under that icky Tsu's technology… mind control…thingies. You're right; we should probably leave him alone."

"…"

"…"

Ayu slapped a hand against her forehead. "Well, miko Muzai," she remarked dryly, "at least it's good to know you haven't lost that borderline Down syndrome naiveté of yours."

"Thank you!" Sachiko chirped cheerfully.

"Sachi!" Kargo cried out in despair. "Don't say 'thank you' to something like that!"

"Why not?"

"Because—"

"_Hey_!"

Sachiko, Kargo, and Ayu looked up to see Kikai, who was waiting by the entrance to the Fighters' Lounge with a less-than-pleased expression on her face. However, Kargo noted a remarkable difference in her appearance. Instead of her usual, fashionable white outfit, Kikai was now wearing a baggy, navy blue outfit, a blue wool cap, and goggles over her eyes.

For the briefest of moments, Kargo thought he had been staring at Vhana the merchant.

"What the hell are you three waiting for?" Kikai yelled in frustration. "Sachiko, I sent you to get the green one. And Susanoo miko—" this was towards Ayu "—I sent you to get Sachiko when she started taking too long. Why is it taking the both of you twenty minutes to play messenger girls?"

"Sorry ma'am!" Sachiko and Ayu said quickly, before grabbing Kargo and dragging him into the Fighters' Lounge, leaving the unresponsive Piccolo behind.

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

"So…why are you still here, Brunhilda?" Jiro asked, his tone bored and dry as he laid back on one of the sofas in the Fighters' Lounge. "I thought you would have gone home crying after the first match."

"I wanted to," the dark blonde admitted. "But Ms. Kikai brought me back, saying that she needed me to referee the next match."

"Really?"

"Yeah." Brunhilda gave out a shaky smile, before her expression became shadowed and downcast. "This—this isn't what I became an announcer for. This entire tournament… I just know that something's wrong with it. I figured _that _much out when those creepy policemen came here with those strange guns, but I never though that the corruption went all the way up to President Kutai!"

"That's not necessarily dad's fault!" Hideaki protested fiercely, glaring at Brunhilda with eyes so narrowed that the dark blonde yelped and shrank away from Hideaki's gaze. "He's being blackmailed by Tsu! He's trying not to lose the company; can't you understand that?"

"Ack! I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" Brunhilda hid her face in her hands, and this was how Kikai found her when she reappeared with Sachiko, Kargo, Ayu, and surprisingly, Ke. When they walked into the room, they all immediately felt the tension in the air, Ayu clearly being the most affected.

"Did you do this, city boy?" the Susanoo miko exclaimed angrily, stomping up to Jiro and giving him her most unpleasant glare. "What did you do now? Did you say something vulgar and disgusting again, you...you disgusting, vulgar punk?"

Jiro snorted and stared at the ceiling in boredom, not even bothering to look in Ayu's direction. "I thought I told you to shut the fuck up and leave me alone," he said flatly, before he added in a very audible growl, "you goddamn cheating _bitch_."

"JIRO!" Sachiko shrieked. This quickly snapped the human teen's attention to the small girl by the doorway, who was staring at him in absolute horror. "How could you say that to Ayu? You—you apologize to her right now!"

"Wha…?" Jiro sat up in his seat, his eyes slightly wide with surprise. Sachiko was speaking to him. He hadn't expected the small girl to speak to him again, especially not after the way she acted towards him earlier. _Well, this is a small improvement, at least… _Feeling the corners of his lips twitch, he snorted and looked away. "Feh. I thought you were so mad that you were gonna give me the cold shoulder for the rest of the tournament, Sachiko."

"One could only wish," Kargo grumbled, earning him a rude hand gesture from Jiro.

"Everyone, shut up," Kikai snapped, causing the entire room to fall silent. "Thank you. Now listen—we can't stay here for long. The next fight can't begin without an announcer, but Tsu's going to start getting suspicious if we delay for too long. Luckily for us, Brunhilda agreed to referee the match, and Ke here—" Kikai's lips curved into a smile as she placed a hand on the whimpering boy's shoulder "—has graciously _volunteered_ to take us to where they're keeping Goku."

"Graciously, huh?" Jiro took one look at Ke's disheveled appearance and mussed up hair, and shook his head. "Whatever you say, Eighteen. Oh, and I hate your outfit, by the way. Makes you look fat and nerdy."

"Eighteen?" Ayu stared at Kikai curiously. "Why's he calling you that, Kikai-san?"

"Before we leave," Kikai went on, her eye twitching slightly as she tried her hardest to not maim Jiro in any way, "we have to make sure that Tsu doesn't immediately notice our absence. Also, we have to leave the area in a way that won't attract the attention of the policemen guarding the entrances to the stadium."

"Well, that's too bad then," Jiro said aloud. "I'm pretty sure that the guards know exactly what we look like. They'd spot us leaving in a heartbeat."

Kikai sighed. "I know that," she replied dryly. "That's why I thought ahead. Half of them are stone drunk with the tasteless liquor I 'slipped' into their coffee. Also..." Glancing at the doorway, she said loudly, "Okay. You can come in now."

Everyone turned towards the entrance to the Fighters' Lounge, and simultaneously, everyone's jaw dropped when Vhana came in. At first,they all had to do a double take—the merchant was wearing a white outfit that looked exactly like the one Kikai was wearing, along with a blonde wig that matched Kikai's hairstyle.

From a close distance, they were able to tell Kikai and Vhana apart, but from far away, they looked similar enough so that it would be hard to tell the difference.

Vhana laughed at all of the astonished faces and scratched the back of her head, almost making her wig fall off. "Well, I guess from tha' expressions on yeh faces tha' I look like Missus Kikai, eh? Oh, an' by tha' way…" Vhana turned to Kikai with a serious look on her face. "Yeh should leave quickly now—the crowds are gettin' antsy."

"I'll go out and stall them," Brunhilda said quickly, getting up as she and Vhana headed towards the stadium. When they left, Kikai turned to the others and smirked as she slipped Vhana's blue goggles over her head. "So…do you get the idea now, brats? Or do I have to explain it to you step-by-step?"

"…"

"…"

"I don't get it, Kikai-san," Sachiko piped up nervously. "What'cha want us to do?"

Kikai's mouth curved into a small frown, but she said nothing. Instead, she placed a gentle hand on Sachiko's head, she murmured in a low, quiet voice, "Sachiko?"

"Yes, Kikai-san?"

"I want you to go into the backroom with Ayu."

"Okay."

"I want you to switch outfits with her." And then, in a quieter voice that only Sachiko (and Kargo, due to his Namekian ears) could hear, Kikai added softly, "Make sure she doesn't see your tail."

Sachiko nodded solemnly in response. "Okay. But why switch outfits, Kikai-san?"

"…just do it. Please. Don't ask questions now."

"Oh. Okay!" Sachiko smiled sweetly and began to lift her shirt over her head, much to the surprise of Hideaki and Ayu, and to the complete shock of Jiro and Kargo (but for some odd reason, the latter two didn't mind…)

"Change in the backroom!" Kikai ordered harshly, pushing Sachiko and Ayu towards the changing area while slapping Kargo and Jiro over the head as she passed. "And as for you two…stop gawking at the kid or I'll put you two in the same pervert category as Master Roshi!"

This caused Jiro and Kargo to stare firmly at a greasy spot on the wall until Sachiko and Ayu disappeared in the backroom. When they were sure that Sachiko was gone, they looked back up at Kikai. "So Eighteen," Kargo asked, "what about me and rich boy? Are we gonna disguise ourselves too?"

Kikai replied by throwing the clothes of a feudal priest towards Jiro, who caught the clothing awkwardly. "The Vegeta-clone will dress up as the Susanoo miko's father—"

"HEY!" Jiro shouted in outrage. "I am NOT a Vegeta-clone!"

"And you, Namek," Kikai continued, completely ignoring the now furious Jiro, "you have to stay here with Hideaki."

"WHAT?" The Namek boy's jaw hit the floor. "Why? I don't wanna stay behind!"

"_Your_ match is next, you idiot," Kikai snapped. "If you're missing, Tsu will immediately notice. Thankfully, all 'Sachiko' and 'Jiro' and 'I' have to do is wait on the sidelines, so the Susanoo miko, her father, and that merchant can pretend to be us for a little while."

"So what am I supposed to do?" Kargo questioned weakly.

"You have to stay here and fight your father. Try to buy us some time. If you can beat him, do it slowly. If you can't, then just try to hang on as long as you can."

Kargo's face suddenly looked paler, and he turned his gaze downwards in dismay.

"What are _we_ going to do anyway?" Jiro asked, frowning in distaste as he put on the feudal robes. "You, me, and Sachiko…are we just gonna try to break Goku out?"

"Something like that." Kikai smiled grimly. "That's part one of the plan. But once we get him out, we're not coming back to the stadium. We're gonna hunt down Tsu and take him out the old fashioned way. With swift and blinding violence."

"What?" Hideaki, who had been listening quietly up until this point, stared at Kikai in disbelief. "Are you insane? That's suicide! We can't just charge at him like this is some last ditch effort! Sachiko couldn't beat him back at the base, and she had better control of her powers before! Now she can barely hold her transformation for more than a few minutes, and you want to go charge at Tsu like this is some battle in a poorly written, second-rate adventure story?"

"…"

"…"

"Well, what else can we do?" Kikai replied quietly. "We can't just sit here and play by Tsu's rules. We lost Goku because of them, and we'll keep getting divided until he has us all in his grasp. What then, Hideaki?"

Silence.

"I don't know about you, but—" Kikai flexed her mechanical arm and clenched the metal fingers "—but I have a personal score to settle with Tsu anyway. I don't really give a crap about Goku. If we don't finish Tsu here, he'll never leave us alone. I'm not going to wait for a miracle. Miracles don't appear out of thin air. We _make_ them happen."

No one replied. Then, a cheerful voice broke the tense and pregnant silence.

"I'm finiiiiiished!" Sachiko squealed happily, skipping out of the backroom in Ayu's miko outfit.

Behind her, the Susanoo miko trudged out wearing a dark blue wig along with Sachiko's white shirt and green shorts, which were both so oversized to begin with that even on the older Ayu, they still seemed a bit too large. But Ayu's outfit also posed problems for Sachiko—the red pants were too long for the smaller girl's legs. The results were that as Sachiko ran over to Kikai, she ended up falling twice, but it didn't seem to bother her. "Kikai-san!" she greeted cheerfully as she wrapped herself around the blonde woman's leg like a strangler fig. "I'm done! This is how I normally look back at home! Do you like it?"

"Mmm." Detaching Sachiko from her limb, Kikai bent down and rolled up the small girl's pant legs. "You look decent, kid."

"YAY! I look dee-cent! Dee-cent is a good thing, right Jiro?" She turned to the human teen, and giggled as he finished tying the last of the robes together. "Oooooh, Jiro! You look so handsome!"

"Really?" Jiro stared up at Sachiko in pleasant surprise, while Kargo looked as though he had been shot through the heart by the comment. Jiro then gave the small girl a smirk. "This isn't me at my best, Sachiko. You should see me in my suits back home."

"You mean the suits you never wear?" Hideaki grumbled quietly, only to receive a small kick in the shins from Jiro as a result. "Ow…"

"You'd better not dirty up my father's clothes, you city mongrel," Ayu stated coldly, crossing her arms over her chest in annoyance as Jiro began to pick at a stray strand. "He's had to swallow a lot of pride to put on that filthy city clothing to look like you, so be grateful we're even doing this for you and your kind."

A muscle began to work in Jiro's jaw and he suddenly had the strongest urge to curse, but with Sachiko so nearby (and in a good mood with him, for once) he decided not to risk it. Instead, he said in a would-be calm voice, "You know, girl, you'd have to actually _have _some pride in the first place to lose it. And from what I remember of your dad, the old man didn't have much pride to begin with. Wasn't he a big fat liar who was intent on ruining Sachiko's life? Oh wait…" Jiro let out a mock gasp. "Didn't you try to do that too, along with my witch of an ex-fiancée?"

"W-why you—" Ayu's face turned a dark red, and she looked as if she was ready to murder the boy standing in front of her. "You—you BASTARD! I'LL—"

"That's enough!" Hideaki shouted, grabbing Ayu and pulling the Susanoo miko away from her smirking brother. "Ayu, let's just go! Forget my brother; he's nothing but a fatheaded jerk anyway!"

"Damn you! Damn you city people and your destructive city ways!" Ayu was dragged out of the lounge, kicking and screaming, by Hideaki and Kai (who had bashfully reappeared the second he had heard his daughter's shrieks). "I'll have my elaborate revenge on you, boy! You hear me? I WILL HAVE MY ELABORATE REVENGE!"

Jiro snorted as the Susanoo miko was forced towards the stadium. "Join the list, bitch. I've got millions of other people who said the same thing."

"And I'm sure your _charming _personality had something to do with that," Kargo muttered flatly.

"Go suck a lemon, freak."

"Likewise, rich boy."

"Anyway," Kikai cut in, tapping her foot impatiently against the floor, "Kargo, you know what you have to do. Get out there, fight your father, and stall for us. Since we can't teleport to where Goku is, we have to take a vehicle, and that'll take twenty minutes…or at least that's what this kid told me." The blonde glared at Ke, who had been standing silently in the corner the entire time.

"You make it sound simple," the Namek boy grumbled, feeling slightly sick to his stomach. "My dad pretty much kicked our asses last time, remember? He'll rip me apart in two minutes—he's not gonna wait _twenty_ just because we're trying to rescue Goku!"

"Don't think that way, Kargo-kun!" Sachiko chirped, giving Kargo her most determined look. "We've been training for six weeks with Goku-san, Kikai-san, and Master Pervy Roshi! We're all a whole lot stronger than before…and you know all of those cool body disabling tricks now!"

"Actually I'm still working on them," Kargo admitted softly. He blushed when Sachiko suddenly leaned so close to him that their noses were almost touching. Kargo felt the blood rush to his face and would have backed away, but the look in her eyes told him to stay put.

Plus, he could practically feel Jiro's ki levels hit the roof, and he somewhat enjoyed pissing the human teen off.

"You have to win, Kargo," Sachiko said quietly, apparently oblivious to Jiro's furious glares in their direction. "If you lose, who knows what's gonna happen to you? I don't want you to end up like Goku-san. We already lost him. I don't wanna lose anyone else!"

"Sachi—"

"So promise me!" Sachiko pleaded, grasping the front of his blue hoodie with her small hands. "Promise me that you won't lose! Promise me that you'll still be here when we get Goku-san out, okay?"

No response.

"_Okay_?"

Kargo looked away. "I can't promise that. Accidents can happen, you know…like with Goku and _rich boy_." He threw a nasty glance towards Jiro as he said this, who in turn responded by getting up, grabbing Sachiko by the arm, and pulling her away from the Namek with a rough yank.

"I'm getting tired of you and that big mouth of yours, freak," Jiro said coldly, keeping a firm hold on Sachiko as she tried to wiggle out of his grip. "Maybe we should just forget the tournament and settle the score between _us_, hmm? How does that sound?"

"Sounds great, actually," Kargo agreed, cracking his knuckles as he took a step towards Jiro. "I've been wanting to bash your skull in from the day we met!"

"Enough!" Kikai whacked Kargo and Jiro hard over the head again, causing both boys to yelp in pain and forget about their loathing towards each other. "If you two want to maul each other, do it some other time! We have a psychotic lunatic to kill first, so hold your damn tempers!"

Kargo and Jiro huffed indignantly and turned away from one another with bitter scowls. Kikai sighed and turned to Sachiko, who looked downtrodden at the scene before her.

"Come on, little one," the blonde said quietly. "We have to go."

"R-right…" Sachiko nodded, before she stared at Kargo and swallowed hard. "Kargo-kun?"

"Yeah, Sachi-chan?" Kargo replied, his scowl softening slightly as he turned to look in her direction. "What's up?"

"At least promise me this. You'll do your best, right? You'll do your best and you won't quit no matter what."

"What?"

"You won't quit. Promise me that you'll keep fighting." Sachiko stared at him determinedly once more, and Kargo found himself unable to refuse this request.

"I—I promise, Sachi-chan. I'll…I'll try to buy you the time you need."

"Good." The small girl's face brightened considerably, and she turned to Jiro with a grin. "Come on, Jiro! Time to save Goku-san!"

"Right." Jiro smirked when Sachiko firmly took him by the hand and followed Kikai (who was dragging a terrified-looking Ke along with her) out through the backroom, but before he disappeared through the door, he glanced back at Kargo and said dryly, "Freak…I hope you don't die. Because I wanna be the one who breaks your neck."

Kargo's eye twitched. "Thanks…I think."

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

He was alone now.

"Ladies and gentlemen, sorry for the delay! Now, on my right, we have a talented fighter who had performed quite splendidly at the Shigaisen Brawl-Out! Sure, he may have overdone it a bit on the green body paint and props, but who cares about trivial things like that? This kid can fight like the best of them! Introducing the boy with the freaky fashion style…Kargo Nail Daimao!"

The crowds were clapping for him, but it was more due to intrigue than their respect for him as a fighter. He didn't care. He wasn't fighting for their goddamn entertainment anyway.

"And next to me on my left, believe it or not, is Kargo's own father, Piccolo Dende Daimao…the Seventh! He's performed almost flawlessly in the preliminaries…and he had one of the fastest records of beating an opponent worldwide! I do not envy whoever has to fight against this guy!"

Kargo rubbed his temples, feeling his veins throb painfully underneath. _Brunhilda, you are SO not helping._

"But, enough chit-chat! We've waited long enough! Ladies and gentlemen, it's time for the third match of the quarterfinals!"

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw his father move almost robotically to his end of the ring, his eyes now locked onto Kargo with a deadly, calculating glare. Kargo moved to his own end, positioning his body into an offensive fighting stance as he tried to will the trembling in his body away.

He promised her. He wouldn't give up. He wouldn't.

"READY?" Brunhilda shouted, backing to the edge of the arena as the drums began to beat in the background. "Let the third match begin! Fighters, are you ready? Are you set? FIGHT!"

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

**Krillin: (singing terribly off-key) **_**Sugar! Oooh, honey honey! You are my candy girl… **_**(spins Eighteen in arms, catches her smoothly as he tries to dip her) **_**And you've got me wanting you…**_

**Goku: Whoo! Go Krillin!**

**Krillin: **_**I just can't believe the loveliness of loving you…**_

**Eighteen: (trying to sound bored and flat but has a small smile on her face) **_**I just can't believe it's true…**_

**Sachiko: (starry-eyed) Ooooh! Kikai-san and Krillin-san look so sweet together! Kikai-san, you have my full support!**

**Hideaki: Hey! What about Kargo? And Jiro didn't even get to perform yet!**

**Sachiko: Oh yeah. Um…they have my **_**other**_** full support, Hideaki!**

**Hideaki: …**

**Sachiko: What? What's wrong?**

**Vegeta: Bah! I knew you would like those two idiots, Female-Chibi-Clone-of-Kakarrot! You're too easily amused! What's next? Dwarves dancing with worms on the stage? Bleh, it's all disgusting!**

**Sachiko: (teary-eyed) Waaaaaaah…Kikai-san! Vegeta-san's being all mean to me and Goku-san isn't even trying to stop him!**

**Eighteen: (stops dancing, gives Goku and Vegeta the "Glare of Death")**

**Goku: (pales) Eeek!**

**Vegeta: Ha! As if I'd let some bionic woman scare me! **

**Eighteen: … (continues to stare)**

**Vegeta: …**

**Eighteen: … (is still staring)**

**Vegeta: … (is becoming slightly nervous and red in the face)**

**Eighteen: … (eyes become almost demonically cold)**

**Hideaki: …ANYWAY! Let's just end the wind down here. Um, next time, Jiro and a bunch of other people sing…something. I have no idea what who's going to sing what anymore… Readers, if you have a song that's good for Jiro, make a suggestion! Suggestions are always welcome, as are reviews! Because reviews are good for the heart.**

**Vegeta: (to Eighteen, who is still glaring at him) DAMN IT, STOP STARING AT ME, WOMAN!**


	56. Father and Son, Paralysis

Cell: (on stage, singing) _I'm bringing sexy back…them other boys don't know how to act…_

Sachiko: … O_O

Goku: … O_o;

Vegeta: …Urp! BLEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEH! (pukes in nearby wastebasket) DX

Sachiko: Hey! Vegeta-san, you had roast beef and garlic bread for lunch, didn't you? :D

Cell: (still singing) _Dirty babe…you see these shackles baby I'm your slave… _(turns around, shakes his hips teasingly in front of audience) _I'll let you WHIP me if I misbehave…_

Sachiko: …?

Goku: (covers Sachiko's eyes) Vegeta, I feel kinda sick. You got any grape flavored, "Don't Throw Up" medicine?

Vegeta: …BLEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEH! (pukes again)

Sachiko: (still with eyes covered) Hideaki, why does Cell want people to whip him if he misbehaves?

Hideaki: I promise you, Sachiko-chan, you don't want to know. Maybe I'll tell you in the future when you're older and engaged in intimacies with the love of your life, but not now! Oh god, is a scene this suggestive even legal to write about?

Cell: (comes up to Hideaki, and strokes her chin) _It's just that no one makes me feel this way…_

Hideaki: Oh…my…GOD! EWWWWWWWWW!

Vegeta: THAT'S IT! THIS DISGUSTING DISPLAY HAS GONE ON LONG ENOUGH! FINAL…FLASH! (shoots a huge energy blast at Cell, disintegrating him on the spot)

Sachiko: (with Goku's hand still covering her eyes) Goku-san, is the weirdness over?

Goku: Uh, I think so.

Sachiko: Yay! (peeks over Goku's hand) Huh? Where did Cell go?

Vegeta: (satisfied) He's gone to hell, Female-Chibi-Clone-of-Kakarrot. He's gone to hell, where we will thankfully never be able to see his gay little dance routine ever again.

Sachiko: (confused) Gay?

Vegeta: Yes, it was gay! Do you even know what "gay" means, brat?

Sachiko: Of course I do! You mean happy, right? :D

Vegeta: …the Saiyajin race is doomed. Our legacy is over... T_T

Hideaki: (grumbles) Pessimistic jerk. (to audience) Anyway…Jiro and one more mystery contestant will perform during the "Wind-Down!" But for now, let's move on with the story! Goku, will you do the honors?

Goku: Sure! This author does not own anything related to Dragonball, Dragonball Z, or Dragonball GT. I would probably know if she did, so please don't sue her! Pretty please? (munches on leftover Halloween candy)

_**Chapter Fifty-Six: Father and Son, Paralysis  
**_

It had been easier than expected to get past the policemen. Because of the tasteless, odorless, but nevertheless _strong_ liquor that Kikai had cleverly slipped into their beverages, the officers were all heavily intoxicated and barely conscious. Many were lying on the ground in semi-catatonic states while the ones who were somewhat alert peered only momentarily at the disguised Kikai, Sachiko, and Jiro before erupting into a fit of giggles, haphazardly waving their arms in the air to allow them to pass.

"Sh'ure," the head officer exclaimed drunkenly. "Y'can all g'home. G'outta here. S'not a place for kiddies 'cause of tha' boss. G'home, g'home!"

It was more than likely that the officer was so intoxicated that even a poorly dressed serial killer would have been allowed to enter the area, murder every single person in the stadium, and leave without so much as a scolding word from the police. However, with the situation as it was, Sachiko wasn't about to complain and she instead silently followed Kikai, Ke, and Jiro into a black hover car that had been parked nearby the stadium.

The small girl's head suddenly perked up at the sudden roar of the crowd in the distance. "The match started," she murmured in a low voice. "Piccolo-san. Kargo-kun…" She twisted her hands together nervously at the thought of her best friend fighting his own father. "I hope Kargo will be okay…"

"The freak will be fine," Jiro replied carelessly, waving a hand in the air in dismissal. "He can take care of himself. At any rate, he's got the easy job. All he has to do is stall for us."

The small girl lowered her gaze. "I guess so…"

"Help the kid buckle up, Vegeta-clone," Kikai said in a bored tone as Sachiko and Jiro slipped into the backseat. Ignoring the not-so-discreet curses that the human teen sent in her direction, she forced Ke to sit in the front passenger seat while she took the driver's side, turning to Ke with a cold glare as she started the engine. "Okay, announcer boy. Direct us to the promised land. Show me how to get to that building without alerting Tsu."

"…"

Ke didn't reply. Instead, he stared silently at his lap where his hands were clenched into tightly fisted balls. Sachiko, who was watching him with wide eyes from her seat, leapt up and grabbed his hands, her small fingers gently trying to pry loose his larger, tightened, contorted ones.

"Ke-kun…" The small girl looked up at her former friend, her eyes staring into his hair-covered ones pleadingly. "Ke-kun, please. _Please_! Help us. You're better than that icky head Tsu! I know you're a good person! Help us…"

She felt his hands clench again, but to a lesser extent this time. Slowly and cautiously, the sixteen-year-old's fingers laced through hers almost lovingly, and Sachiko's lips curved into a smile when Ke finally looked up and gave her a grimace. "Dove," he whispered in a low, careful voice, "you shouldn't do this. This is completely against his plan. Even Tsu has his limits. I—I don't want you to get hurt!"

"_No_," Jiro growled, slapping Ke's hands off of Sachiko's as he pulled the small girl away from the announcer boy. "_Tsu's_ the one who's gonna get hurt! Once we get Goku out, we're gonna hunt down that bastard and beat the hell out of him like the dog he is!"

Ke snorted. "You're Jiro Kutai, right? I know all about you. I hear that you're quite the _fake _little poser…"

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING A POSER?" Jiro shrieked, half-intending to lunge for the older boy when Kikai suddenly shoved him back into his seat.

"Little boy," the blonde said in a would-be calm voice that was on the verge of frustration, "I've got two words for you, okay?" She held up one finger. "_Shut_." She held up another finger. "_Up_."

"…"

"…"

"Bitch," Jiro snapped.

Kikai rolled her eyes and turned back to Ke, who seemed to have relaxed a bit after watching the interaction between the group. "Announcer boy, I'm reaching the end of my patience. Show me how to get to Goku. _Now_."

"Ah, right." Ke laughed nervously, his previous, silent demeanor suddenly vanishing into thin air. "Well, don't say I didn't warn you, Eighteen. And Dove—" Ke turned to Sachiko with a small smile "—if anything happens, run. I'm telling you right now. Run away from the building, and don't look back. And…" Ke smirked in Jiro's direction. "Take your poser city friend with you."

"STOP CALLING ME THAT, YOU ASSHOLE!"

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

Piccolo let out a burst of ki as soon as the gong sounded, a hellish glow bathing his body as the energy flared up around his form like flames. With a snarl, the Namek careened down the arena, tearing concrete from the ring underneath him and sending bits of rubble flying in all directions. Brunhilda and the cameramen screamed and ran back from Piccolo's relentless display of power, holding their equipment with trembling hands as they tried to capture the fight with the best of their fear-tampered abilities.

Kargo quickly powered up, looking for an opening in the powerful charge attack before him. In moments his father would be upon him, but he forced himself to wait patiently, squinting in the light of the energy that surrounded his father as it came closer…and closer…

His father's black, dead eyes locked with his. And then, with fearsome speed, he lunged for his son, his clawed hands clearly aiming to rip Kargo's head off.

_Move, move, move, MOVE!_

Kargo twisted away from his father's reach at the last moment and leaped towards the older Namek, hands clenched and glowing with raw energy as he drove his fist hard into Piccolo's stomach. A pained grunt met his ears, and Kargo uttered only a single word in response.

"_Bakurikimaha_!"

The energy in his hand shot out in a powerful yellow blast and his father was blown back, howling in agony as he clutched at his now bleeding abdomen.

"Oh my god!" Kargo heard Brunhilda's voice quiver with excitement, but she sounded distant to the young Namek, as if she was a mile away. "Did you see that, folks? Talk about daredevil tactics! What risk! What technique!"

_Oh, shut up._

He stood still, not going near his father but not going any further from him either. By warrior's instinct he knew he should have continued the attack. He _knew _he should have. But he needed to stall. He needed to buy more time—

His thoughts completely froze when he saw his father's face suddenly warp with rage. Before he could blink, Piccolo was instantly upon him, fists flying at furious speed as Kargo retreated backwards, trying his best to avoid and counter his father's blows.

"Dad!" he pleaded, dodging a dangerous swipe that was aimed at his throat. "Dad, please! I know you're a stubborn jackass, but snap out of it! Please! DAD!"

Piccolo didn't say a word—he instead responded by grabbing Kargo's forearm, and a painful throw sent the Namek boy slamming hard against the cold stone floor of the arena. Stunned and slightly disoriented, Kargo somehow managed to roll away just as Piccolo aimed a punch at where his head had been only seconds ago.

"Oh my god! Ladies and gentlemen, this announcer woman is going to dieeeeeeeee!" Stone chunks from the ring exploded from the force of the strike and Brunhilda, who had only been a few feet away, shrieked and ducked as the bits of rock and concrete sailed over the top of her head.

The spectators cowered in their rows, their eyes wide from a combination of both terror and awe as they watched the father and son pair furiously go at it. One little boy looked on in wonder before his mother pulled him back to his seat, and even Ayu, Kai, Vhana, and Hideaki stared in shock and surprise at the powerful sensations of energy that they felt from the edge of the ring.

"Wha'…in tha' name of Dogen…was tha'?" Vhana mumbled softly, her mouth slightly open. "I knew tha' green lad was strong, but to think tha' he was actually _this_ powerful…"

Ayu and Kai could only nod in agreement. Hideaki stared at Kargo and Piccolo as well, until she jerked herself out of her stupor and gave the Susanoo miko and her father a glare. "Come on!" she hissed. "Ayu, you're supposed pretend to be Sachiko! Cheer for Kargo, damn it!"

"Huh?" Ayu blinked, tearing her eyes somewhat reluctantly from the ring. "Oh, right. Um…" The Susanoo miko bit her lip uncertainly, before she waved weakly at the Namek boy. "Er…go…green person? Go, go, go."

For all of her efforts, Ayu might as well have been cheering for a corpse in a funeral home. If Tsu had seen the pitiful display, the ruse would have instantly been over.

Hideaki groaned and shook her head. _This is never going to work…_

A drop of rain fell from the cloudy skies above.

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

"Rain, rain, go away, come again another day…"

Sachiko stared wistfully at the droplets of water that streaked down the windows of the hover car. There was a slight scurrying within the folds of her miko robes, sending a displeasing tickling sensation through her body, but she quickly placed a gentle hand against her chest and the scurrying soon stopped.

"Mr. Squirrelly-Squirrel," she whispered softly, petting the animal's head from underneath her robes. "Calm down! I'll let you out when we get to the building, okay? It's going to be too dangerous to take you inside with me…"

There was a momentary rustle under her hand, but the creature finally became still.

_Maybe I should feed him soon_, Sachiko thought to herself._ It's been a while, and I'm getting hungry too. I'll ask Kikai-san if I can have roast beef and hot pots. And some nuts and acorns on the side. This car seat is itchy. _

Pouting at the uncomfortable seats in the hover vehicle, the small girl sighed and leaned her head against Jiro's side. His body immediately stiffened at the contact, but she ignored him and closed her eyes. She had absolutely no idea why he always tensed up whenever she touched him. She hugged Kargo all the time and it never seemed to bother _him_. At any rate, she didn't care at the moment whether Jiro hated the physical contact or not.

She wanted something soft to lean against. Since Kargo wasn't there and Kikai was driving, Jiro was the only option remaining. (Well, there _was _Ke...but he wasn't very trustworthy in her eyes at the moment.)

"Do you think they're still fighting?" she asked suddenly.

"Hmm?" She felt Jiro shift underneath her. At the same time, the scurrying within her robes started up again. "What'dya mean, Sachiko?"

"Kargo-kun and Piccolo-san." Sachiko opened her eyes and peered up at the older boy curiously. "Do you think Kargo can beat him? I mean, even before the whole dragonball hunt started, Kargo and Piccolo-san used to fight all the time."

Jiro snorted. "I kind of got the idea from before," he muttered, remembering the fight he had witnessed between the father-son pair during his last visit to the Lookout. "The freak's a little scared of Piccolo, isn't he? The last time I saw the two together, Kargo got completely disowned." He gave Sachiko a small scowl. "What's with those two, anyway? Even _I _don't fight with my old man to the point where I get kicked out of the house."

"It's…um…sort of hard to explain." The small girl pursed her lips as she tried to find a way to put her thoughts into words. "Kargo-kun was always like this with Piccolo-san. I think it has something to do with me and my Okaasan, but—" here, Sachiko sighed softly "—I really don't know what they're arguing about. I mean, Piccolo-san is always nice to me, and he never says anything to Okaasan when they see each other."

From his seat, Ke turned towards Sachiko with a strange look on his face. "Dove," he asked in an oddly quiet voice, "they don't speak to one another? Are you sure about that?"

"No one told you to open your mouth, asshole," Jiro snapped coldly, but Ke ignored the younger boy and focused squarely on Sachiko.

"Dove, they never speak to each other at all? Are you sure about that?"

"Hmm?" Sachiko blinked, before her lips curved downwards into a little frown. "They speak to each other _once in a while_, Ke-kun! Whenever my Okaasan goes to the Lookout, she and Piccolo-san would first stare at each other in this really weird way. Then, Okaasan would say, 'Hi.' Then, Piccolo-san would say, 'Hello.' Then, Okaasan would turn around and leave me with Kargo-kun for the day. So in a way, they _do_ speak to one another!"

"…"

"…right?"

"…"

"That doesn't sound like a real conversation, kid," Kikai commented as she drove, turning on the windshield wipers just as the rain began to pour heavily onto the car. "That just sounds like a really tense and uncomfortable moment."

"Huh? Really?" Sachiko scratched her head in confusion. "I didn't know that. I thought that was normal for them! That's how they always acted around each other as far back as I can remember!"

Kikai scoffed. "That's still not normal. I mean, if the Namek and his dad were descendants of the Piccolo _I _knew, then it would be a different story. But they're Dende's descendants. If I remember correctly, Dende was actually a nice, chatty little greenbean."

"Who cares?" Jiro interrupted loudly. "In my opinion, Kargo was never normal to begin with, so who's to say his dad's not a loon either?"

"Piccolo-san's not a bird," Sachiko piped up. "Why are you calling him a loon?"

"…"

"…"

Jiro rubbed his temples. "Sachiko, I swear…"

"You'll get used to it," Ke replied, grinning at the younger boy's frustration.

Kikai said nothing. Instead, she continued to watch Sachiko quietly from the rearview mirror and was slightly startled to see the small girl's robes moving oddly around the chest area. Her brow rose when she saw the head of a little gray squirrel pop out momentarily from underneath the girl's clothes. The creature staring a little too intently in Jiro's direction, but when Kikai observed Sachiko's attempts to hide the creature underneath her clothing again, she almost smiled.

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

Kargo winced as he blocked a hot, burning ki attack with his forearms.

"Ow, ow, ow, hot, hot hot!"

He evaded the second ki attack, opting to jump aside while hissing at the searing pain in his arms. He hadn't been damaged too badly, but the skin was still singed and the clothing of his hoodie from his elbows to his wrists had been completely burned off. The rain, although wet and cool, wasn't doing much to help the fiery stinging in his flesh.

Wonderful. Not only was he hurt, but now he also had to materialize a new hoodie. Wonderful.

"Thanks a lot, DAD!" he spat sarcastically, glaring daggers at the brainwashed Piccolo. "Is there anything else of mine you'd like to destroy? Whatever's left of my dignity, perhaps? OH SHIT!" He yelped as he ducked down to avoid Piccolo's new barrage of ki blasts, rolling to the edge of the ring before leaping towards his father, delivering a reverse roundhouse kick that almost took the older Namek's head off.

"GAAAAH!" The kick sent Piccolo flying to the other side of the arena, his body crashing hard on the tiles before skidding to a stop right at the edge. Lying flat on his back, Piccolo stared up at the grey skies with a dazed and distant look in his eyes. For a moment, Kargo thought he had him, but then the older Namek suddenly sat straight up, his black irises cold and narrowed into a demonically hateful glare as he rose to his feet and began to charge at him again.

_Crap…_

BOOM!

A sudden, earsplitting crack of thunder made Kargo's entire body freeze with horror and called his attention momentarily away from the fight. Piccolo, sensing his son's distraction, swept his long leg out in a wide, graceful arc, connecting with Kargo's ankles and throwing him completely off balance. Without even realizing what exactly was happening, Kargo suddenly found himself flat on his back, sucking in deep breaths of air and rainwater that seemed devoid of oxygen, wincing as tiny pebbles from the concrete ring dug painfully into his back.

_No. Why now? WHY NOW?_

The subsequent tunnel vision that threatened to take away his sight cleared with just enough time to roll away from a kick to the ribs, but the flash of lighting in the grey skies above made his heart completely stop with fear. What was he supposed to be doing again? Oh gods, what he wouldn't give to hide under a blanket right at this moment!

"Fighters, stop!" From the edge of the ring, Kargo was dimly aware of Brunhilda running towards him and Piccolo, holding an umbrella over her head as she tried not to trip on the wet tiles of the arena. Huffing and puffing when she finally reached them, the dark blonde yelled through the microphone, "Ladies and gentlemen, due to a malfunction at the Climate Control Center, we have an unexpected and uncontrolled amount of rainfall around the Sentou Islands! For safety reasons, we will postpone this match until the problem is solved!"

_Oh thank the gods…_ Kargo almost wept with relief as he shut his eyes and tried to ignore the rumbling clouds above. _Thank you, Lady Amaterasu. You DO care!_

"I'm afraid I can't allow that to happen, Miss A. Nouncer."

_What what what?_

Kargo opened his eyes and glanced towards the sound of the voice, almost choking on his own tongue when he realized who was suddenly standing next to the frightened-looking announcer woman.

"M-Mr. Tsu?" Brunhilda stammered, her hands tightening around her microphone as she tried to remain calm. "W-what are you doing here?"

The masked man chuckled lightly and patted the dark blonde on the head. "Have you forgotten, my dear?" he replied cordially. "I am the General Manager of this tournament. I'm in charge, so therefore, I must see to it that the matches are being run as smoothly as possible."

"Oh. Right…" Brunhilda's eyes hovered to Ayu, Kai, Vhana and Hideaki for the briefest of seconds before she gave Tsu a shaky smile. "Pardon me, sir. I, um, forgot myself. I was just announcing a delay due to rain, you see, and—"

"Who allowed you to do such a thing?" Tsu interjected calmly.

"Huh?" The dark blonde's hold on the microphone tightened so much that her knuckles turned white. "W-what do you mean, sir? I was just trying to guarantee the safety of the fighters. It's a thunderstorm, and they might catch pneumonia."

"Tsk, tsk, tsk." Tsu tutted loudly in disappointment as he waggled a finger in front of Brunhilda's face. "Miss A. Nouncer, I am disappointed in you. You may have fantastic M.C. abilities, but you lack the instincts of a true fighter. You see…" Tsu looked up at the thundering skies and grinned. "A true fighter must be able to fight in any circumstances. Whether rain or shine or wind or hail, a true fighter must brave all elemental obstacles and overcome his adversary through any means necessary."

Brunhilda gulped nervously. "I understand that sir, but Budokai rules clearly state—"

"What have I said about those rules?" the old master cut in, his grin slowly becoming a grimace as he looked down upon the young announcer woman. "I am the General Manager. My word is law. Have you forgotten that?"

"N-no, sir! But the storm—"

Tsu was now towering over Brunhilda, making the poor woman cower in fear. "I won't tolerate you going against my orders. Now, I wish for this match to continue. Will you obey my command, or will I have to replace you permanently for the rest of the tournament?"

Brunhilda paled to the color of skim milk. "N-no, sir," she stammered. "I mean, I—I'll continue the match, sir…"

"Good!" Tsu laughed, before he turned towards Kargo and Piccolo, both of whom were watching him apprehensively. "Now then! Please continue my dear Namekian warriors! This match has been quite the spectacle to behold, you know! Teeheehee!"

"Fuck you!" Kargo shouted, glaring hatefully at the old master…before shrieking and cowering in fright when another crash of thunder echoed through the skies. Tsu chuckled.

"I think," Tsu replied cheerfully, "that you have your own problems to worry about, Child-who-is-from-Namek-but-who-strangely-acts-human. After all, my real business is with my little Sachiko-chan, not with you. Speaking of Sachiko-chan…" He glanced in the direction of Ayu, Kai, Vhana, and Hideaki, and cocked his head to the side in what appeared to be confusion. "Huh. That's strange…"

_Oh shit…did he figure it out already?_

He saw Hideaki's eyes widen as Tsu came towards her and the others, and she quickly ushered Ayu, Kai, and Vhana in the opposite direction, the latter three confused as to where they were going. But this only served to make Tsu even more suspicious, and he quickened his pace, making a beeline directly towards Ayu, who was unfortunately disguised as Sachiko.

"Stop it!" Kargo yelled in desperation, charging a powerful yellow ki blast in his hand and aiming it at the old master. "You stay away from them! Goddamn it, stay the hell away from them or I'll—ACK!"

Kargo yelped when he felt his father's hand grab the back of his neck painfully, and flailed helplessly when Piccolo lifted him into the air like a wiggling newborn pup. From the corner of his eyes he could see his father's other hand glow intensely, the older Namek's nails lengthening and sharpening by the second.

He was—he was going to kill him—his own father was going to kill him and no one was going to save him—

_NO! I PROMISED!_

Twisting his body around, he grabbed at the arm that held him captive and poked at it frantically, not caring whether or not he was hitting the pressure points correctly, not caring whether or not the technique would actually work on his father. He had to turn this fight around, and he had to draw Tsu's attention away from the others! HE HAD TO!

Poke, poke, dangle.

Kargo grunted when his bottom painfully met the stone floor of the arena. He looked up, confused as to why his father had dropped him so suddenly.

And his jaw immediately hit the floor.

Piccolo's attention was no longer on him. The older Namek's eyes, as well as that of Tsu's, were all drawn to the limp and paralyzed arm that was hanging uselessly by Piccolo's side.

_Oh my god, it worked. _His mouth still swinging open from its hinges, Kargo stared stupidly at his father's attempts to move his motionless arm. _Oh my god, I did it. I'M A PRESSURE POINT MASTER, BABY! YEAH! _Fractured, shaky laughter escaped his lips, and Kargo slowly rose to his feet, trying to think of what to do next. Maybe he could attack one of his father's legs, too, and end the fight once and for—

Suddenly, Piccolo roared in frustration and grabbed his useless arm with his other hand. His sharp nails dug into the unresponsive limb for the briefest of seconds, before there was a horrible tearing, ripping, crunching noise, followed by a flood of purple blood spilling onto clean white tiles.

"Oh my—OH MY GODS!" Terrified, Brunhilda backed away from the growing puddle of blood, blood that immediately mixed with the rain and covered half of the stone arena in a thin coating of light purple. Next to her feet lay a severed Namekian arm, an arm that was still slightly twitching as it desperately tried to find the body that it had once been attached to. However, as blood continued to spill, its movements slowed, becoming smaller and weaker, until it stopped moving entirely.

Rank, bitter-tasting bile rose in the back of Kargo's throat, and he covered his mouth in horror as he tried not to choke on his own vomit. His father had just torn off his own arm. His father, in his brainwashed impatience, had just ripped off his own limb without any regards to his own safety. Kargo stared at the bloody stump that had once been attached to Piccolo's arm, and he felt his stomach heave. "Dad, that's…" He had trouble speaking. At this point, he couldn't even look his father in the eye. "Dad, not only was that stupid…that was just SICK!"

And the spectators, Tsu, Hideaki, and the others included, were inclined to agree. Even the masked old master, who had completely forgotten about Hideaki and the others, was staring at Piccolo with a dumbfounded look on his hidden face, as if he had never expected the guardian to do such a thing, as if this had been a joke taken way too far.

Hideaki was astonished as well, but not to the point where she couldn't usher Ayu, Kai, and Vhana towards the Fighters' Lounge so that they could hide if they had to. Still, even her eyes were glued onto the older Namek, wide with disbelief that the guardian of the Earth had been reduced to _this_.

"Sir…" Remembering her duties as the announcer, Brunhilda walked slowly up to the unmoving Piccolo. "Sir, you're injured. Should I call for assistance? Do you want to stop the match?"

Piccolo didn't answer, nor did he even give any indication that he had heard. Instead, he closed his eyes in concentration, his lip pulled back into a snarl, and Kargo felt a large amount of energy concentrating around the bloody stump of the severed limb.

_Wait a minute_, the Namek boy thought distractedly. _I know this technique. Dad used it once during a spar with Goushi…_

"HAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" A wet, fresh, and working arm suddenly sprouted from Piccolo's severed limb, resulting in a horrified shriek from Brunhilda and Hideaki, while earning an excited shout from Tsu.

"Ah, yes!" the old master exclaimed in delight. "Namekians have the abilities to regenerate limbs, don't they? Ah, Piccolo is proving to be much more entertaining than I gave him credit for!"

"You shut your mouth!" Kargo screamed, grabbing his father's severed arm and throwing it at Tsu, who promptly dodged it with a serene smile on his face. "You—you miserable old fart! JUST SHUT YOUR GODDAMN MOUTH! I'll rip you apart for this…I swear it!"

"Oh really?" Tsu replied cheerfully, despite the fact that his lip was curling back into a sneer. "Well then, little boy…you'd better not lose this match!"

"Wha…OW!" A hard kick to the face nearly sent Kargo crashing out of the ring, but he caught himself at the last moment and, with a burst of energy, flew straight towards the rumbling skies with Piccolo flying right behind him.

"Is this even safe?" Hideaki cried from the sidelines as she wrung her hands together in fear. "Kargo! Be careful! The thunderstorm isn't over yet!"

Kargo wanted to cry in vexation. _You think I don't know that? I'm just being desperate here!_ Wincing as a flash of lightning streaked through the clouds above, he suddenly teleported, leaving only his afterimage behind as Piccolo's clawed hands swiped at the false image's chest. Reappearing directly behind his father, Kargo struck surgically at his father's newly regenerated arm and shoulder with two fingers.

Poke, poke, dangle.

Piccolo roared in rage as his arm fell lifelessly at his side again. Once more, the older Namek tore his arm off in fury and regenerated his limb, although the process took slightly longer this time around.

Kargo felt his lips thin, and he prepared to strike his father again. _Dad, I have to do this. You leave me no choice. I'm sorry…_

He flew at Piccolo recklessly; aiming a paralyzing strike at the older Namek's left leg.

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

**Jiro: (grinning evilly at Vegeta while singing) **_**Veggie ate a worm today, a squiggly wiggly worm…**_

**Sachiko: Teehee! Worm song! :3**

**Goku: Ha! Jiro's funny! He called Vegeta "Veggie"!**

**Vegeta: (eye twitches) …**

**Jiro: **_**He picked it up from the dust and dirt…and wiped it off on his brand new shirt…then slurp, slurp, he ate it up—**_

**Vegeta: I WOULD NEVER DO THAT! I HATE WORMS! THEY ARE DISGUSTING!**

**Jiro: (sticks tongue out at Vegeta) **_**Yes, Veggie ate a worm today, a squiggly wiggly worm…**_

**Sachiko: HOO-RAY! That was fun, Jiro!**

**Goku: Yeah! Makes me want to sing the song too! **_**Oh, Veggie ate a worm today, a squiggly wiggly—**_

**Vegeta: (gives "Glare of DOOM") Kakarrot, if you finish that song, I will remove your ability to have children with Chi-Chi.**

**Goku: … T_T**

**Vegeta: Bah, I hate this contest! That brat who denies being my descendant…I HOPE HE LOSES! I HOPE HE GETS NO VOTES AT ALL! I HATE HIM! THAT LAST MYSTERY CONTESTANT BETTER NOT SING ANOTHER CRAPPY SONG! KAKARROT, WHERE IS THE NEXT— (stares at his side, blinks when Sachiko and Goku are gone) Huh? Kakarrot, where are you, you idiot?**

**Goku: (from the stage) Here I am! :D**

**Sachiko: (hugging Goku's leg) And I'm here too! :D**

**Vegeta: (pales) Oh no…don't tell me…**

**Sachiko: Yup! WE'RE the mystery contestants! Yaaaaaay~!**

**Vegeta: (eye twitches again) You can't be the mystery contestants! You're the freakin' judges!**

**Hideaki: Aw, come on, Vegeta! There's nothing in the rules that says they can't perform.**

**Vegeta: FINE! But they'd better not sing anything stupid! **

**Goku and Sachiko: OKAY! :3**

**Vegeta: AND THAT INCLUDES ALL BARNEY-SLASH-NURSERY SONGS! ESPECIALLY "BINGO"!**

**Sachiko: Aww… T_T**

**Goku: Wait a second! Sachi-chan, what do you think of this song? (whispers in her ear)**

**Sachiko: Huh? Hmm… (giggles) OOOH! I like it, Goku-san! (skips to Hideaki and whispers into her ear)**

**Vegeta: (slightly paranoid) Like what? What did the Female-Chibi-Clone-of-Kakarrot tell you, Bulma-look-alike?**

**Hideaki: For the last time, my name is Hideaki! And, um…Sachiko and Goku are going to sing, "What I Like About You." (stares nervously at Goku and Sachiko) Um, this is sung in a platonic way, right? Like a father-child bond thing, right?**

**Sachiko: Teehee! I don't know what that means, but okay!**

**Goku: Sure! :D**

**Hideaki: Oh boy…hit the music.**

**Goku: (singing to Sachiko) **_**That's what I like about you!**_

**Sachiko: (singing to Goku) **_**You hold me tight!**_

**Goku: **_**There are lots of tournaments we've won!**_

**Sachiko: **_**Wanna come sparring tonight?**_

**Goku and Sachiko: **_**Let's keep on training throughout the year! Especially when enemies are way too near, cause it's true! That's what I like about you!**_

**Hideaki: …wow. They're actually pretty good. Oh yeah! To the readers, um…read and review? And cast your votes for who you want as the winner of the contest! Let's see…there was Kargo, Freeza, Master Roshi, Krillin and Eighteen, Cell, Jiro, and Goku and Sachiko! Cast your votes now, because TURMOIL is going to try to upload by tomorrow! Why? She'll explain...if she manages to post by tomorrow! XD  
**

**Vegeta: (facefaults into desk) I hate this story so much…**


	57. Father and Son, Trial by Lightning

Hideaki: Okay, so we're a day late and a dollar short. The chapter took longer than expected, and we apologize. But anyhow…our author does not own Dragonball, blah blah blah…

Goku: Aww…is this the ending of _West City Idol…Rebirth of the Dragon_?

Hideaki: Yup, Mr. Goku. As sad as it sounds, we will have to think of a new gimmick for the remaining chapters. But in the meantime, let's look back on our experience with our singers. We've laughed. We've cried. And we've thrown up countless amounts of times.

Vegeta: (grumbles) You can say that again. Ugh, Frieza singing "Barbie Girl" is something I will never, _ever_ be able to forget…oh god, just talking about it makes me want to throw up again.

Sachiko: Vegeta-san used lots of barf bags! Look, this one even has a cute little pink bunny picture on the front! :3

Vegeta: (horrified and embarrassed) W-where did you find––I mean, THAT'S NOT MINE I DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT!

Sachiko: Huh? But Vegeta-san, it has your name on the side...

Vegeta: Shut up, Female-Chibi-Clone-of-Kakarrot! NOBODY ASKED FOR YOUR OPINION!

Sachiko: (sobs and hugs Goku) Waaaaaaah... T-T

Hideaki: Vegeta, you jerk! Hold your temper!

Goku: Yeah! You're not being very nice at all!

Vegeta: (scowls) Oh, go suck a lemon, Kakarrot!

Hideaki: Anyway! Vegeta's anger management issues aside, let's move on to the results! Unfortunately, I'm not allowed to recap or show any clips of our contestants, due to the demand of Mr. Prince-of-All-Jackasses over here. (glares at Vegeta) Apparently, as he worded it, he'd rather tear out his own colon and eat it raw than watch all the songs again. Jerk.

Random Audience Member #4: Boo! You suck, Vegeta!

Vegeta: (blasts Random Audience Member #4 to oblivion)

Remaining Audience Members: …

Hideaki: VEGETA! Stop killing the audience members! Goddamn it, between you and the Bloodthirsty Squirrelly Squirrel, I'm surprised we even have an audience left!

Vegeta: The bloodthirsty _what_?

Bloodthirsty Squirrelly Squirrel: (appears next to Vegeta) …

Vegeta: …

Bloodthirsty Squirrelly Squirrel: (yawns, goes to sleep on Vegeta's head) …zzz…

Vegeta: (eye twitches) …

Sachiko: Aww! He likes you, Vegeta-san! :3

Goku: Yeah! I should take a picture of this. It'd make a great Christmas card! :D

Vegeta: (eye twitching increases) …

Hideaki: Damn it, I wanted that thing to eat him…oh well. (to audience) Ladies and gentlemen, we have our results! From our loyal fans, we have a winner by a landslide margin! It was hard to count the votes due to there being so much input––

Vegeta: Only three people actually voted, you ninny! And one vote actually went to _Jiro_… (shudders in horror)

Hideaki: (sweatdrops) He wasn't that bad! Besides, we have the voters in the audience to consider!

Vegeta: They aren't _real_! They're just figments of the author-woman's imagination!

Hideaki: You be quiet! Anyway, the winner won by several votes! In fact, the winner had so much support that I will now reference one of the most popular and overused lines in Dragonball Z, one that is requested so much that I'm sure Chris Sabat is completely sick of it! In terms of the actual number of winning votes…IT'S OVER NINE THOUSAND!

Vegeta: SHUT UP! SHUT UP AND GET ON WITH THE DAMN RESULTS!

Hideaki: FINE YOU UN-FUNNY JERK! And the winner…will be announced at the end of the chapter. HA!

Vegeta: DAMN IT!

_**Chapter Fifty-Seven: Father and Son, Trial by Lightning**_

At the back entrance of the tall building, Sachiko, Jiro, Kikai, and Ke stood in front of a gigantic, towering set of double doors. Stretched securely across the doors was something that appeared to be a large, metal spider, with curly wires spreading out in all directions. But where the head of the spider might have been was a computer-like screen, complete with a keyboard and other small gadgets that Sachiko couldn't identify.

Even at this point, even after traveling so far with Jiro and Hideaki and experiencing the wonders of city life and its endless amounts of technology, Sachiko still found herself amazed and a little bit frightened at what people like Hideaki and Rei were able to conjure up with only their minds and their hands. The small girl, who knew only her faith in the gods and her simple, feudal home back in the forest, found herself bedazzled by the flying cars, the capsules that could change into almost anything she could ever desire, and the machines that looked so human that they could actually _pass_ as a real living being.

_How strange the world of the city is. How strange…and how twisted everything has become because of these new tech-no-loh-gees…_

She snapped herself out of that line of thought. No, not everything was twisted. Her mother loved the cities, and there was nothing corrupted about _her_. Her mother had passed on that love of technology to Kargo, and she loved him more than life. Jiro and Hideaki were the heirs to a huge scientific company, and they were far from twisted in her mind. And Kikai…Kikai certainly didn't count as a person who was _twisted_. Kikai was, in Sachiko's mind, a genuine, living human being who merely had the misfortune of having metallic body parts.

_She reminds me of Okaasan. How could I even consider her to be bad in any way?_

Unfortunately, the same could not be said for her former friend, Ke.

While she knew that he was no machine, she had found his behavior to be borderline wicked. She was once able to trust him with her deepest secrets, especially after he had hidden her during the night her tail was supposed to have been cut off. She had once loved him as a child would her brother. But with his recent actions supporting _Tsu_, she hardly knew what to expect from him anymore.

But that didn't mean she still couldn't ask him questions.

"Ke-kun," she said in a low, quiet voice, "what is that spider thing on the door? Is it going to eat us if we get too close?" She winced as a loud crash of thunder echoed above her. The storm had only increased in severity when they reached the building, and it showed no signs of stopping anytime soon.

"Of course not." The sixteen-year-old smiled and ran his fingers through her wet hair, only to have his hand slapped away by a particularly displeased Jiro. Frowning, Ke turned his gaze towards the doors and said softly, "This is a special entrance. Only Tsu, Rei, and I are allowed to come in this way. We're the only ones the machine will recognize, because there are three levels of security to bypass and one requires exact voice recognition by at least one of us."

"Well, I guess we know for sure that Goku's in the building now," Kikai replied dryly. "This much security just _screams _that something of importance is hidden…"

"You have no idea, Miss Eighteen." His frown deepening, Ke approached the metal spider and cleared his throat loudly, causing the computer screen to suddenly light up in an eerie green glow. Sachiko squeaked in surprise and clung to Kikai's arm when she saw several words appear on the screen, which was promptly followed by an emotionless, mechanized voice.

"**Please give voice verification. User name is…**_"_

The voice trailed off, as if waiting for a response. Ke cleared his throat again, before saying in a soft, slightly tremulous voice, "My name is Ke, Third out of the Original Three."

"Eh?" Both Jiro and Kikai raised a brow at this strange statement, while Sachiko cocked her head to the side in confusion. However, if Ke noticed their reactions, he gave no indications that he did. Instead, he focused solely on the computer screen, which was now glowing a bright blue.

"**Welcome, Master Ke. Please give a hand print and eye sensor analysis.**"

A small, foot-long pad suddenly emerged from the inside of the metal spider, along with a tinier machine that floated up to Ke's right eye. The shaggy haired sixteen-year-old pressed a hand against the foot-long pad and kept his eyes wide as the tiny machine scanned his pupils and irises…at least, that was what Sachiko, Jiro, and Kikai _thought_ the machine was doing. Even during the scan, Ke's messy black hair covered his eyes completely, and it was a wonder that the metal spider even recognized him at all.

"**Thank you, Master Ke**." There was a very quiet buzzing sound coming from the spider. Sachiko saw that the wires around the doors were shaking very slightly, causing drops of rain to slip off from the doors. "**Please give the three names of the Reaper.**"

"The what?" Jiro turned to Ke, who in turn was staring at the metal spider with a look of absolute seriousness on his face. "What the heck is this machine babbling about?" Jiro asked in obvious annoyance. "What the hell does it mean by 'the Reaper' anyway?"

But Ke, who was no longer aware that Jiro was even there, spoke solemnly to the metal spider in a voice that sounded distant, soft, and strange. "_Rei…_"

There was a muted clicking sound from the spider.

"_Ke…_"

The doors began to quiver and shake.

"_Tsu._"

The wires began to curl and uncurl very quickly, as worms did on a sidewalk after a heavy rain. Ke stepped back, and the wires pulled away from the doors completely, retreating into the body of the metal spider as the computer screen faded to black and the doors swung open with a slow and eerie creak.

"**Welcome…Master…Rei…Ke…Tsu…**"

When the doors were fully opened, Sachiko and Jiro rushed forward, pushing past Ke as they ran into the dark, dimly lit hallway and shook off the rain from their damp, shivering bodies. Kikai followed them, taking her eyes off of Ke momentarily as she yelled at the two children to wait. She then turned back towards the shaggy-haired boy to yell at him to hurry up…and froze with horror.

She looked to the left.

She looked to the right.

It did no good. Ke was gone.

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

BOOM.

In the stormy skies, Kargo bit his lip as a streak of lightning sailed over his head, his muscles tensing in fear when he _felt _the crackle of electrical currents brush over the tip of his antennae. However, he forced himself to keep fighting and channeled all of his efforts towards paralyzing Piccolo's leg, flying away and grinning in grim satisfaction when his father's limb drooped lifelessly in midair.

"Would you two stop _doing_ that?" Brunhilda shrieked in despair as Piccolo once again ripped off his leg and flung it to the ground below. The dark blonde announcer woman screamed and recoiled in horror when the leg splattered next to her, dripping with purple blood as the Men in Black rushed forward to remove the severed body part for the ninth time. "Our medical team is running out of room to store all of those limbs! And frankly, it's just disgusting!"

However, she might as well have been talking to a brick wall. At this point, neither father nor son was capable of focusing on anything other than their fight. Kargo mutely stared on as Piccolo once again regenerated his lost leg, but now, the regeneration took a _very_ long time…

…and Piccolo was noticeably tired.

To normal fighters, this scenario wouldn't have made any sense. Kargo was mentally crippled by the thunderstorm and Piccolo had been physically dominating the earlier parts of the match. Had Kargo not been a Namekian himself, with full understanding of Namekian anatomy, he never would have tried the tactic that was currently rushing through his mind over and over again.

But the strategy itself, while simplistic in design, was something that would have been considered genius had the Namek boy not been so terrified by the whole ordeal. Kargo knew, after his first several attempts at paralysis, that his brainwashed father would only continue to rip off his paralyzed limbs and regenerate them. Kargo had almost given up on subduing his father that way, but he then remembered a critical flaw in the Namekian regeneration technique.

While a Namek _could_ regenerate as long as his head wasn't damaged…the technique in itself was very draining. If even an experienced Namek regenerated too many times, he would collapse from exhaustion.

So the plan was set. All Kargo had to do was keep disabling his father's body parts, and the older Namek would fall in the very act of healing himself. All he had to do was not stray too close to his father's striking range, and use hit-and-run techniques to tire Piccolo for good…

"GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

Piccolo suddenly warped right in front of Kargo. The young Namek, too shocked to respond, was unable to move when Piccolo suddenly attacked him with unrelenting fury, his fists pounding into Kargo's chest like jackhammers. A particularly sharp blow to the ribcage made Kargo cough up blood, but Piccolo wasn't finished. He grabbed hold of his son and lifted him over his head, hurling the Namek boy as hard as he could towards the stone arena below.

_CRASH!_

There was a huge impact where Kargo's body collided with the arena, and a large crater formed where his limp body lay. His hand, which was twitching slightly, hung over the edge of the ring, just inches above the ground.

…_ow…that hurt…_

Nearby, Hideaki bit her nails as she watched the scene with anxious eyes. Truth be told, she didn't like how any of this was turning out. She didn't like how Kargo was trying a method that clearly wasn't working, and she _hated_ how Piccolo kept ripping his limbs off. Honestly, having body parts thrown all over the arena was not only disgusting, but the fact that he kept regenerating the lost appendages at lightning speed made her more than a little apprehensive of the match's end.

If the guardian of the Earth was capable of growing back his own body parts, who knew what else he was capable of?

Although the minutes felt like hours, Hideaki knew that not much time had passed. She had no idea whether or not the others had reached Goku yet, and if they had, she had no idea how long it would take for them to get back…

She suddenly felt a small tugging at her sleeve, and she turned her attention to a nervous looking Ayu. "What's the matter?"

"That creepy masked man is coming!" the Susanoo miko hissed, tugging at her dark blue wig in worry. Hideaki looked up and paled when she indeed saw that Tsu, after being distracted by Kargo's fight for so long, was finally heading in their direction.

_Oh no, oh no, oh no!_

Trying hard not to panic, Hideaki grabbed Ayu's hand and motioned quietly for Vhana and Kai to follow her into the Fighters' Lounge, closing and locking the door behind her before Tsu could reach them. Taking it a step further, she grabbed a nearby chair and jammed it against the doorknob, even though she knew in vain that a locked door and a measly little chair wouldn't be enough to stop the powerful old master.

"W-what should we do?" Kai stammered, his hands twisting against one another as he stared fearfully at the door. Although he was dressed as Jiro, the timid priest was completely unable to imitate any of the young boy's brash and cocky mannerisms. "W-we can't fight that man, can we? I mean, even that scary Kikai lady from before seemed unsure about this masked man, and I doubt even Yuka could take _her_!"

"Well, I ain't afraid o' no face-coverin' jackass!" Vhana declared brashly, clenching her fists as she pulled out a small blaster from her back pocket. "If he tries ta hurt any o' us, I ken give him a taste o' his own medicine!"

"What the…" Hideaki's eyes widened at the sight of the blaster. "Vhana! Where on earth did you get _that_?"

"Wha', yeh mean this?" Vhana held the blaster up. "I stole it from one o' the coppers. They're all as drunk as lords when I went ta check on them, did ya know tha'?"

Actually Hideaki did _not_ know that, but she did not have the chance to answer. At that very moment, the handle of the locked door jiggled, and they heard a small knock from the other side.

_Oh gods, we're going to die…_

"Sachiko-chan?" Tsu's voice, although as cheerful as ever, had a strange strain to it that Hideaki couldn't identify. "My dear little Dove, open the door, please?"

"My dear little Dove?" Ayu repeated in disbelief, the blue wig slipping slightly over her eyes.

"Be quiet!" Hideaki whispered harshly, praying with futile hopes that the old master would just go away and leave them alone. _Please_, she thought desperately. _Sachiko, Jiro, Kikai! Please be almost done with finding Goku! I don't know how much longer we can keep this up! Please!_

"Open the door, little one," Tsu sang from the other side of the door. "I want to talk to you…and I don't want to have to break this door down…"

"Don'tcha come near us, yeh old toad," Vhana muttered under her breath, her blaster cocked and aimed at the door.

"Alright. That does it." There was the sound of a breath being taken. Then, in a split second, the door suddenly flew off from its hinges, cracking and splintering from the impact of Tsu's kick. Hideaki screamed as she ducked, the chair sailing over her head as it crashed to the floor in a mangled heap. When she looked up, she found herself staring straight at Tsu's smiling mouth, and she suddenly lost the ability to speak.

"Ah…ah…"

"Hello, Miss Kutai." Tsu gave her an elegant, graceful bow at the waist, before he turned towards Ayu, Kai, and Vhana. Immediately Hideaki saw his mouth drop open in surprise, and she knew the ruse was over.

"What in the world…?" Tsu stared at Vhana, Kai, and finally Ayu. "This isn't…this is not…"

"P-please!" Hideaki stood up and grabbed Tsu by the arm. "Don't look at them! It's not what you think!"

But the old master disregarded her completely. Instead, his attention was fixated on Ayu, who stared back at the old master nervously as she bravely stood her ground.

"Um…hi, Tsu-san," Ayu greeted pathetically, attempting and failing to sound like Sachiko. "It's, um, nice to meet you, I guess? No wait, or do I hate you?" Ayu scratched her head, making the blue wig slip even more over her eyes. "Um, yeah, let's go with that! I hate you! I hope you go to hell, old man!"

"Oh gods!" Hideaki cried, covering her eyes in horror. "That was the most UN-Sachiko-like behavior I've ever seen!"

Apparently Tsu agreed, for his lips thinned into a hard, unforgiving line. "Who is this?" he asked Hideaki quietly, staring at Ayu as he placing a hand upon Hideaki's shoulder. The young woman tensed when she felt his gnarled fingers dig painfully into her flesh. Although he wasn't facially or vocally expressing it, Tsu was clearly angry, and this struck a chord of terror within Hideaki that she didn't even know existed.

Tsu could get angry. Tsu could get _angry_. This was bad.

Swallowing fearfully, she forced her lips to move as she slowly, quietly gave her answer. "It's…Ayu. From the Susanoo Villages. She's…a friend of Sachiko's."

"I see." Tsu turned his head to Kai and Vhana. "I _see_." His gaze returned to Ayu. "I've been _careless_."

He removed his hand from Hideaki's shoulder and walked over to Ayu, who instinctively backed away from the old master. Tsu paused, before an uncharacteristic snarl escaped his lips. And then, without warning, his hands shot out and grabbed Ayu by the arms, his grip tightening like a vice as Ayu let out a shriek of pain.

"How dare you," he hissed, shaking the Susanoo miko as the first break in his calm demeanor finally revealed itself. "How dare you impersonate my darling little Sachiko-chan! Where did she go? WHERE?"

"Ow, that _hurts_! Tousan! HELP!"

"L-let go of my daughter!" Kai threw himself at the old master, frightened but unwilling to let his only daughter get hurt. However, his heroics did not make up for his lack of fighting abilities and when Tsu merely slapped him aside, Kai ended up getting knocked straight into an adjacent wall, collapsing to the floor in an unconscious daze.

"Yeh filthy bastard!" Vhana screamed, and shot a round at Tsu with her stolen blaster.

The old master swung to the side, dodging the blast from taking off the top of his head.

Before Vhana could reload, Tsu dropped Ayu and teleported in front of the merchant, thrusting one hand in front of her torso, his open palm only inches away from touching the peak of her breasts. Before Vhana could realize what was happening, a massive blast of blue energy exploded from his palm and hit her squarely in the chest.

"AAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGH!" The merchant was shot straight through the walls from the impact, her body breaking through steel and concrete as she disappeared underneath the rubble of what had once been the fourth wall of the Fighters' Lounge. Hideaki screamed and, grabbing Ayu by the hand, tried to run away. But just before she could reach the exit, Tsu suddenly appeared in front of them, his mouth twisted with rage.

"Where…is…she?" Tsu snarled, advancing on the two girls as they moved back in terror. "Where…_is_…SACHIKO? WHERE—"

And then, all of a sudden, he stopped. His hateful expression suddenly vanished, and he seemed to be listening intently to something that Hideaki and Ayu obviously couldn't hear.

Or maybe he really _was_ just insane.

"Oh, really?" Tsu mumbled, staring up at what Hideaki thought was the ceiling. The young woman blinked—he seemed to be addressing the air itself, not to her or Ayu. "So she's _there_? I see. Oh, don't get mad at me. I can't keep an eye on her _all_ the time." There was a stretch of silence, before the masked man sighed. "No, no, I'm not mad, my lesser. No, this is a good opportunity. Alright, come back. I'll make my way there."

"Is he crazy?" Ayu whispered worriedly. Hideaki shrugged, before she yelped when she saw Tsu smiling gently at her.

"I'm sorry, my dears," he said cordially. "I shouldn't have lost my temper like that. I have an important matter to attend to, so I'll be taking my leave. Of course…" Tsu grinned wickedly. "For trying to trick me like this, I will have to punish you. Let's see…how to do it? Ah, I know!" The old master let out a bark of delight. "I'll have the interlopers thrown out, and I'll simply keep Miss Kutai under lock and key for the rest of the tournament! Yes, that's a pleasant idea! To the one who had the audacity to dress up as my sweet Sachiko, please leave the area, and take your unconscious companions with you. And Miss Kutai, I'll have some guards escort you to the holding rooms. Toodle-loo!" With that, Tsu strode out of the Fighters' Lounge, humming a song to himself as Hideaki and Ayu stared after him in complete disbelief.

"He _is _insane!" Ayu cried. "What, he just expects us to walk out?"

Hideaki, who had been watching the entrance to the Fighters' Lounge, suddenly sweatdropped. "Um, Ayu…"

"No way! I'm staying here until miko Muzai gets back!"

"Ayu…"

"If he thinks he can just order me around—"

"AYU!"

"WHAT?"

"I don't think we have a choice."

There was a sudden cocking of several blasters, and both Hideaki and Ayu paled at the sight of several hung-over police officers aiming their weapons towards them.

_Checkmate. Again._

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

The building, Sachiko soon realized, was very similar and yet completely different from Tsu's old base.

She still couldn't feel any ki signals in the building, which had been the exact same problem she had back at the base. However, while Tsu's old base had been made entirely of steel and marble, the new building was made entirely out of stone. As she followed Jiro and Kikai through a strange stone passageway, the three crossed through the dark area to a door that led through the outer wall of a very large, but completely empty stone room. This outer wall, in turn, led to a flight of stone steps that led up to an open door in the wall of the shabby stone building.

"BAH! TOO MANY 'STONES' AT ONCE!" Sachiko freaked out, clutching at Jiro's arm as she began to get tunnel vision from the darkness and the inescapable smell of cut rock. "I don't like this place, Jiro! It smells bad and I can't sense Goku-san's ki at all!"

"Don't fret, Sachiko," Jiro replied quietly, tightening his hold on the small girl's hand as he continued to pull her along. "Just focus on finding Goku, and then we can all get the hell out of here as quickly as…" He trailed off, his blue eyes suddenly widening at the sight that welcomed all three of them as they crossed over the threshold of the open door. "Oh…my…"

On the other side of the door were pearl white halls of a passageway, and the jaws of the trio dropped open when they saw the exuberant designs that had been hidden by the unattractive exterior. There were marble floors, as white as the first snow of winter. Paintings of lilies, tortoises, and doves filled the walls, which slowly changed to portraits of hunting dogs chasing down a roaring lion by the time they rounded a corner to another door.

"…hmm." Even Kikai, who had spent her many years of life seeking luxury and fine artifacts, was impressed by the sudden display of beauty and attractive decorations. As she inspected the marble floor, which was covered with carnations of all colors, the corners of her lip twitched upwards. "Tsu sure knows how to lead a person on, doesn't he?"

"No kidding," Jiro muttered, examining a glass sculpture of a dancing woman dressed in feudal robes. "Seems kind of girly, though. I mean, isn't this a bit too cozy for a guy who's…I dunno…a lunatic who's trying to_ kill _us?"

Kikai shrugged. "You have to remember, this _is_ Tsu we're talking about."

"True."

Sachiko said nothing, nor did she give any indication that she had heard even a word of their conversation. She had been completely blown away by the scent and sight of the flowers and paintings and pearls, and she was so amazed with the sudden elegance that she unknowingly bumped into a chef who was carrying a large tray of food. She yelped when she felt the hot soup splash all over her feet, and she stared up at the man in apologetic horror.

"I'm so sorry, sir!" she cried, bending down to pick up the abnormally large, empty bowl. "I didn't know you were there! I mean, I can't feel ki in this place, so I didn't know if anyone was where I thought they'd be…eep!" Sachiko squeaked when she felt Kikai's hand on her head, and she looked up to see the blonde woman's eyes suddenly narrowing at the man.

"Who are you?" Kikai asked carefully. "What are you doing here?"

"I could very well ask you the same," the man grumbled, straightening his chef's hat as he took the bowl from Sachiko. "I don't remember you three being part of the staff…however, I have no time for petty chit chat. My orders from Master Tsu are that I keep feeding his new…err, _guest_."

"Feeding?" Jiro repeated slowly, his brow rising slightly.

"Yes! Keep feeding and feeding and feeding him until he pops…or something to that degree. But—" here the Chef sighed "—I've been feeding him the equivalent of fifty full course meals a _second_, and he still hasn't gotten full yet!"

Jiro and Kikai immediately exchanged glances at this new revelation, but Sachiko, who didn't understand the importance of what the chef had told her, tugged at the man's sleeve shyly. "Mr. Chef," Sachiko piped up, giving the chef her sweetest smile, "I'm hungry too! Do you think you can give me some pork buns for my rumbling tummy?"

"What, you too?" The chef sighed again and nodded wearily. "Very well," he said in an exhausted voice. "But you'll have to wait a while. I've been cooking almost nonstop with my staff for hours, and we're still working on that man's hundredth order for roast beef! That Goku Son has an appetite from Hell, I swear!"

"Goku, you idiot!" Kikai hissed, a muscle going on in her jaw as she rubbed her temples in sheer frustration. "Is THAT why you didn't escape yet? You were too busy stuffing your FACE?"

"And you think I'm actually related to that numbskull?" Jiro whispered harshly to the blonde, only to receive a glare in response.

"When we try to send our food down through the tunnel," the chef went on, both he and Sachiko oblivious to Kikai's and Jiro's growing tempers, "he eats them so fast that even wolves would be ashamed!"

"Goku-san?" Sachiko blinked, before realization finally made its way into her head. "Oh! Goku-san is here? Do you know where he is?"

"Of course I do, little missy! But I…I…"

The chef trailed off. His eyes slowly widened at something that was behind Sachiko, Jiro, and Kikai, and he suddenly jumped up and bolted out of the room, screaming for forgiveness. This left the three in a state of complete confusion, but when they heard the sound of stiletto heels walking in a slow, perfect line from behind them, they understood at once why the man had run away.

Kikai turned and spoke to the woman first. "Dr. Rei, I presume," she said in a quiet, calm voice.

"Ms. Kikai. A pleasure," Rei replied emotionlessly, her glasses reflecting the light from the ceiling and windows as she brushed a strand of lint off of her perfectly ironed green dress. "None of you should be here. You are violating the terms of our agreement. Get out."

"You shouldn't be here either," Kikai countered flatly. "You're scheduled to fight me in the next match. You're violating your own terms, if you really think about it."

"…"

Perfectly pushing up the bridge of her glasses with one finger, the doctor stared dully at Kikai, her thin lips twitching oddly as if she was trying and failing to smile. "I never gave any indication," Rei said in a strange, mechanical way, "that _I_ was participating in the Budokai. I do not know where you received the notion that I was the eighth participant of the tournament, but I will inform you now that your sources are incorrect."

"What?" Kikai's jaw dropped, as did Jiro and Sachiko's.

"It has to be you!" Jiro yelled, his quivering finger pointing only centimeters away from Rei's perfectly turned up nose. "The name the eighth contestant gave to the officials was 'R', and your goddamn name begins with an 'R', you stupid bitch!"

Rei didn't immediately reply—instead, she began to wheeze peculiarly, something that _might_ have passed for laughter had the middle-aged woman not looked as if she was in pain while doing so. And then, as quickly as her wheezes began, it stopped. Rei quickly regained her robotic, unfathomable composure and stared emotionlessly at the three. "None of you should be here. You are violating the terms of our agreement. Get out."

"NO!" Jiro yelled, fists clenched as his anger finally reached its peak. "You know what? _Fuck_ you and _fuck_ your goddamn agreement!" He powered up and flew at Rei, catching her off guard as he swung his knee straight into the woman's jaw.

Rei staggered backwards, one hand flying up to keep her glasses on her face as her back collided against the adjacent wall of the finely decorated room. Jiro charged at her again, but Rei was ready for him this time and tilted her head to the side just enough so that she avoided his hand from slicing the side of her head. The doctor then grabbed Jiro's arm and slammed Jiro hard against the wall, twisting his captured arm behind his back as she pinned him in place with her own body.

"Get off him!" Sachiko shrieked, flying at the doctor as she set off a huge barrage of punches, all of which were easily blocked by Rei. The doctor then raised her free hand to strike the small girl, the corners of her lips twitching oddly again—

Suddenly, Rei gasped as she was struck in the chest by a fuchsia-colored ki blast, a blast that just narrowly missed Sachiko and Jiro. The doctor dropped Jiro in the chaos, and the human teen grabbed Sachiko and pulled her away as Kikai stood in front of the groaning woman, her palms open and the tips of her fingers each glowing with a small ball of fuchsia energy.

"I don't care if you're not my real opponent," the blonde said in a low, deadly voice as she stood over the fallen Rei. "You've done more than enough to me and Sachiko to go to Hell!" Kikai's fingertips were glowing so intensely that Sachiko and Jiro had to look away, and Sachiko shut her eyes as she waited for the impending sound of death.

She couldn't watch. Even if it _was_ the terrible Rei, Sachiko couldn't willingly witness a person being killed…

There was a gasp…a cry of pain…and the sound of a body hitting the floor.

Wait a minute. That cry. It didn't belong to Rei.

"Oh shit," she heard Jiro whisper, his normally confident voice suddenly laced with fear. Sachiko opened her eyes, looked up…and promptly proceeded to scream at the sight of Kikai writhing and gasping in pain on the ground, frayed wires and electrical sparks emitting from a huge hole in her stomach as Rei stood up shakily, being helped to her feet by a very angry, very unhappy looking Tsu.

"That was a close one, my dear," the old master said softly to Rei, who in turn nodded slowly as she stared down at the injured Kikai. "You could have gotten hurt…"

"Kikai-san!" Sachiko tried to run to the blonde, only to freeze and take a daunting step away from Tsu when he blocked her path. She peered around him and stared helplessly at the fallen blonde, who was fighting for each breath. "You—YOU MONSTER!" Sachiko shrieked, attempting and failing again to run past Tsu in order to reach Kikai. "How could you? Help her! Don't leave Kikai-san to _die_!"

The old master stared at her for a moment, before he laughed cruelly and grabbed her painfully by the arm, covering her entire face with a strange, sweet-smelling cloth. Sachiko blinked, innocently inhaling the smell, before she suddenly began to feel tired…

"Don't you worry, my little Sachiko-chan," Tsu said in a cheerful voice, but to Sachiko, he sounded as if he was far, far away… She made no move to resist him as he lifted her over his shoulders and carried her away from Kikai, who was now left in the mercy of Rei. "I'll make sure that Miss Eighteen gets all of the medical attention she needs. But for now, you and Master Jiro really shouldn't be here; it's such a dingy place for children. Shall I escort you two to more appropriate quarters?"

"Fuck you!" Jiro shouted. "Let go of Sachiko, you asshole!" He rushed straight at the old master, fists up and ready to fight…only squeal like a child when Tsu boredly grabbed the young boy by the head and started walking calmly towards the exit.

"O-OW! Let go, you jerk!" Jiro tried to pull his head out of Tsu's grasp, punching and kicking uselessly at the air. "Come on! THAT'S NOT RIGHT!"

"K-Kikai-san…" Sachiko lifted her head up weakly. Through her drugged and hazy vision, she saw Rei drag Kikai deeper into the building. "No…Kikai-san…"

"S-Sachiko…" Kikai reached a hand towards the struggling girl, only to get kicked brutally in the side by Rei.

_Stop!_ Sachiko screamed, but her lips wouldn't move anymore. _Stop! Don't take Kikai-san too! Goku-san, where are you? Help us…_

Her body fell limp against Tsu's. Soon, the world faded into nothingness.

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

Kargo, after finally regaining his senses, managed to get up and retook the fight to the still storming skies. He exercised a bit more caution this time, resuming his plan of tiring out his father. He altered his style slightly, however—he would evade, evade, evade and only strike his father's limbs when he was sure he had an opening.

This made for a very long match indeed, but this hit-and-run tactic worked. After several more instances of paralyzed limbs, ripped flesh, and forced regeneration, Piccolo looked as if he was about to drop out of the sky from sheer exhaustion.

"I don't believe this, folks!" Brunhilda exclaimed excitedly, although she sounded somewhat nauseous after seeing another limb get ripped off. "It looks like Kargo is finally getting the upper hand! Piccolo's looking pretty tired, folks!"

The Namek boy finally managed to smile, but his grin was quickly wiped off his face when Piccolo suddenly screamed, his calm, machine-like expression shredding with pure rage. Despite his fatigue, he now rushed at Kargo, attacking so quickly and ferociously that Kargo was unable to get away and could only focus on blocking.

_Stop it, Dad! I hate this! I HATE FIGHTING YOU LIKE THIS!_

When his father's movements slowed for the briefest of seconds, Kargo sent one quick strike to Piccolo's chest, a strike that sent the older Namek flying backwards in the thundering skies.

Kargo scowled, and prepared a large ball of yellow ki in his hands as he prepared to fire off a Masenko blast. _I'm going to do it_, he thought to himself._ I'm going to beat him! Dad, this is more than enough…I'm doing this for myself, I'm doing it for Sachiko…and I'm doing it for you!_

"MASENKO—!"

_Lightning, lightning, !_

The white-hot pain shot up from his back, all the way up his spine, and spread like wildfire throughout his body. He twisted and howled and writhed in pain, but it didn't end and just kept on going as the lightning bolt burnt his flesh right on the spot.

How could he have been so stupid? How could he have not felt the bolt coming—

"Kargo!" From afar, he could hear Brunhilda screaming, he could hear the audience screaming, and, he might have been imagining it, but he could have sworn that his father—his _real_ father, not this murderous imposter—was screaming too.

_Ithurts__**ithurts**__ITHURTS__**ITHURTS!**_

Images suddenly flashed through his mind, images of lightning, pain, and Tsu's fucked up smiles. He remembered peculiar hand movements, manipulating the energies within his body in order to control the pure elemental power of lightning—his arm shot out towards the sky and most of the lightning passed through his body towards—

—and then there was a terrible scream, his father roaring as the hot electrical currents shot through his own body, sizzling the metal implant that was hardwired to his brain and shattering the steel strip on his face until it completely fell off and sank to the earth below—

—Kargo felt himself fall—didn't do the technique properly—didn't get all of the lightning out—he was hurt, hurt bad—he closed his eyes and waited for the impact—

Darkness. Pain. Hurt.

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

**Hideaki: Hey cool! Avatar references! Anyway, a quick announcement. TURMOIL's midterm weak is approaching, so for the next two weeks she will not be adding any new chapters.**

**Kargo: Is that why she put two chapters in one week?**

**Hideaki: Yeah. A sort of compensation, if you will. But now, the results! And it's for real this time!**

**Vegeta: FINALLY! IT'S ABOUT FREAKING TIME!**

**Hideaki: And the winner is… (drum roll sounds in the distance as the Bloodthirsty Squirrelly Squirrel runs up to her with a white envelope in his mouth)**

**Goku: Oh boy! I hope we won, Sachi-chan! :D**

**Sachiko: Me too! But I wouldn't be unhappy if someone else won. Everyone sang really well!**

**Vegeta: (grumbles) You must be deaf, then, you little brat.**

**Sachiko: Huh? What was that, Vegeta-san?**

**Kikai: (suddenly appears behind Vegeta with a cold look on her face) Yeah, Vegeta. What did you say?**

**Vegeta: …**

**Hideaki: (opens envelope, reads the card) …wow. I never would have guessed it! And the winner is—HEY! **

**Vegeta: (snatches card away and reads it, paling when he sees who the winner is) Oh my—no. NO! **_**NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!**_

**Goku: (worried) Vegeta, what's the matter?**

**Vegeta: This can't be! I can't accept this! I WON'T!**

**Jiro: Damn it, you old fart! Who the hell won?**

**Vegeta: Not you, that's for sure! (jumps on Judges' Table with a microphone in hand) I won't accept this! The winner…IS ME!**

**All contestants plus audience members: WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?**

**Hideaki: You can't do that! You didn't even sing! _**

**Vegeta: (singing Frank Sinatra's "My Way") **_**Regrets, I've had a few…but then again, too few to mention. I did what I had to do…and saw it through without exemption! Yes, there were times, I'm sure you knew…when I bit off more than I could chew!**_

**Sachiko: (sweatdropping) Goku-san, can he do this?**

**Goku: …I…don't know…**

**Vegeta: (still singing) **_**But through it all, when there was doubt…I ate it up and spit it out. I faced it all and I stood tall…and did it my way! For what is a man, what has he got? If not himself, then he has naught! To say the things he truly feels…and not the words of one who kneels! The record shows I took the blows …AND DID IT MY…WAY!**_

**Hideaki: …wow. I guess this is the end of **_**West City Idol…Rebirth of the Dragon**_** style. Read and review, and hopefully TURMOIL-san passes her exams. See you all in two weeks, everyone…**


	58. Going Downhill

Jiro: This pathetic author doesn't own any part of the Dragonball series. Stop implying that she does or else I'll "accidentally" let the Bloodthirsty Squirrely-Squirrel loose.

TURMOIL: I feel like I just went through the nine circles of Hell and back. But it's over. Midterms are finally over… (faints)

Sachiko: (fans TURMOIL's head) Poor TURMOIL-san! Please feel better!

TURMOIL: (lying face-first on the ground) I'm fine. But honestly, no gimmicks this week. Let's just have a good old' discussion about something that's been festering away in the back of my mind for years.

Kargo: You don't mean…? O_o

TURMOIL: Yes, yes I do. I'm talking about…the Dragon Ball live action movie. -_-;

Sachiko, Kargo, and Jiro: GASP!

Kargo: (nervous) D-do you really want to talk about something like that? I mean, the fan base is pretty divided as it is…

Sachiko: Some people might say mean things to you for stating your thoughts about this movie, TURMOIL-san!

TURMOIL: Hey! It's just my opinion. Honestly, if you're someone who likes how the movie's being made, that's fine. But I've been watching the series since I was three and to be honest, I don't know what to say about this movie. I've heard the arguments from both sides and I've wanted a live action movie of DBZ for a long time, but what I've seen so far…has made me feel very uneasy.

Sachiko: And it's not just the "I'm-Worried" type of uneasy! It's the "Biting-Her-Fingernails-From-Stressful-Worry" type of uneasy.

Jiro: That was really stupid of her, by the way. The dumb woman chewed her nails right down to the quick…

TURMOIL: Be silent, mini-Vegeta.

Jiro: HEY!

TURMOIL: But seriously, I've been wondering on whether or not to make a comment. Even when I saw Piccolo and his not-greenness, I still wanted to withhold my judgment, but then I saw Goku's Oozaru transformation. (eye twitches) Looks nothing like the Oozaru I grew up with, but I'm hoping that they'll CGI the image and morph it into a real Oozaru. But I'm most likely deluding myself and it's probably not going to happen. This is 1998's _Godzilla_ and _Spiderman 3_ all over again. Ugh. Poor Goku… -_-;

Kargo: NO! Say something, TURMOIL! Protest the movie! It's a sham! The Oozaru shouldn't look like that! It should be big and monkey-like and scary! And Nameks have to be green, goddamn it! Green and sexy and not YELLOW! I DON'T CARE WHAT YOU GUYS SAY, THE MOVIE-PICCOLO IS MORE YELLOW THAN GREEN! DX

Jiro: Feh! You're just saying that because you're afraid of how _you'd_ look! Seriously, though…if you looked like how Piccolo does in the movie, I'd laugh my goddamn ass off. And Sachiko might not want to be around you anymore. Heck, Piccolo's new appearance is one of the reasons why I LIKE the movie. Hehehehe…

Kargo: (thinks murderous thoughts) Must…not…kill…rich boy…

Sachiko: (eyes water up) It's not right! The Goku-san I know would never say, "I'm not ready" in any situation! He always charges into a battle with a smile and tries to find any way he can to win! Waaaaah…what did they do to him? T-T (stops crying, and thinks) But then again, Chi-Chi-san and Bulma-san looked really pretty.

TURMOIL: They _have_ to look pretty. Every second rate movie needs its eye candy.

Sachiko: Huh? Eye candy? That sounds delicious! Is it candy that's shaped like an eyeball?

Kargo: …

Jiro: …

TURMOIL: …we're out of time. Onto technical stuff. There are references to the myth of Hades and Persephone in this chapter. But on with the chapter, ja? The flashback/dream opening is something of a setup for the sequel…if I ever get to it. But I'm sure I will…

_**Chapter Fifty-Eight: Going Downhill**_

"_Okaasan! Look! I made you a wreath of pretty-ful flowers for your birthday! Do you like it?"_

"_Uh-huh. That's nice. Go and play, honey."_

"_But…you didn't even look at them…"_

"_Sachiko, mommy's very tired. Please, go outside and play with Kargo or something. I still have to write the last of this police report and these daisies are making my eyes itch."_

"_Oh… "_

"_And please, hide your tail. We don't want Grandfather to cut it off again, do we?"_

"_No…okay, Okaasan. I'll make you a flower necklace, then! One that won't make your eyes itchy!"_

_The five-year-old Sachiko ran quickly to a spot where, only a day before, she had seen several beautiful flowers. These, however, were now a little past their bloom, and wishing to give her mother only the freshest and loveliest blossoms, the tiny girl strayed farther into the forest and found some that made her scream with delight. _

"_Oh, wow! They're all so pretty!"_

_Never had she seen such exquisite flowers before. The violets were large and fragrant. The roses had shades of red that were richer and more delicate than a blush. There were darling scented rushes in the ponds and some of the blossoms were aromatic pink…there were so many beautiful flowers that stretched as far as the eye could see, and some of them even seemed to be of new shapes and colors. _

"_These are perfect!" Sachiko exclaimed, reaching down to pick up a blue forget-me-not. "I'm sure Okaasan will love the flower necklace better than the wreath! These blossoms are better for her itchy eyes anyway, because only daisies and daffy-dills make them all itchy and red. OOOOOH! Look at that pretty rose!"_

_Two or three times, however, she couldn't help but think that a tuft of splendid flowers had suddenly sprouted out of the earth __**purposefully **__before her very eyes, as if someone was trying to tempt her a few steps farther. Sachiko's arms were soon filled with blossoms of all sort, and she was on the verge of heading back home, intent on twining the flowers into a necklace for her beloved mother. _

_But then, something caught her eye. It was a large shrub, completely covered with what had to be the most magnificent flowers in the world. _

"_Oh!" Sachiko nearly dropped her blossoms in surprise. She had been looking at that spot only a moment ago and that shrub had not been there. Immediately suspicion sprouted in her mind, but still, child-like curiosity beckoned her closer and the nearer she approached the shrub, the more attractive it looked. When she was right next to it, she drew in a breath of astonishment._

_Although its beauty was richer than words can tell, she hardly knew whether to like it or not. It bore above a hundred flowers of the most brilliant hues, each different from the others, but all having a kind of resemblance among themselves which showed them to be sister blossoms. But there was a deep, glossy luster on the leaves of the shrub and on the petals of the flowers, a luster that made the tiny girl wonder if they might possibly be poisonous._

_But then again, they really __**were **__beautiful… _

"_I'm just being silly!" Sachiko said, laughing aloud. "It's the most pretty-ful bunch of flowers in the whole wide world! It's probably a gift from Lady Amaterasu! I'll pull it up by the roots, carry it home, and plant it in Grandfather's garden so that Okaasan can see it every day!" _

_Holding the bundled mess of flowers with her left hand, the five-year-old girl seized the large shrub with the other and pulled…and pulled…and __**pulled**__…but was hardly able to loosen the soil about the plant's roots. Pouting slightly with frustration, the little girl yanked at the shrub with all her might and observed that the earth began to stir and crack around the stem. She gave another pull, but relaxed her hold when she heard what seemed to be a rumbling sound right beneath her feet. _

_Did the roots extend down into some enchanted cavern? _

…

_Nah._

_Laughing at herself for so childish a notion, she yanked at the shrub one more time, squeaking in surprise when the plant finally popped out of the ground._

_Sachiko staggered back, holding the stem triumphantly in her hand while gazing at the deep hole which had once contained the plant's roots. Much to her astonishment, this hole kept spreading wider and wider, and growing deeper and deeper, until it seemed to have no bottom. All the while, a rumbling noise came out of its depths, growing louder and louder, nearer and nearer… _

_Suddenly there was a loud wail, and a black blob suddenly burst out of the hole, pushing out the beautiful forest scenery, tearing Sachiko away from her perfect dream world as the masses devoured the screaming, terrified little girl, covering her, entwining itself around her body…_

"_HELP! Okaasan!" she shrieked, trying to fight off the blob with all of her might as torn and crushed blossoms scattered throughout the air. "Okaasan, help me, please! __**I need you! OKAASAN!**__"_

_But no one came, and she screamed as the blackness tightened around her body, s__hoving itself into her mouth while forcing the air out of her lungs, sucking the heat right out of her body as the darkness around Sachiko suddenly intensified and threatened to swallow her whole…_

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

"HELP! HELP! HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEELP!"

The small girl screamed and ripped the heavy blanket off of her head, tumbling off of a large, feathery bed before landing face-first onto the soft white carpet below her.

"Mmmph—ewwwww!" Quickly sitting up, Sachiko spat out the carpet fuzz that had gotten into her mouth, wiping her tongue furiously on her sleeve. Squinting, she strained to see her surroundings through her blurry vision, slowly realizing that she was in a strange room…a room that was decorated to look like that of a little girl's. She glanced around curiously, noting the piles of dolls and teddy bears that filled every corner. There was light blue wallpaper decorated with fluffy white clouds plastered all over the room, and yellow curtains fluttered in the breeze from the open windows.

A cold gust suddenly blew over her body and she quickly went over to the window to close it, shivering at the chills that went through her body.

_It's so cold. Even Master Pervy Roshi's island was never this cold at night…_

She paused as she looked out at the evening sky, amazed that so much time had passed and how everything had suddenly changed. Even though the storm had ended, the atmosphere still felt peculiar. Everything was mute, calm, and completely dark. Even from the middle of the Sentou Islands, the sea seemed fixed in place and sleek at the surface, like waved lead that had been poured and cooled in a blacksmith's mold. The night sky was black and clouded, and the seagulls, their feathers a dingy gray, flew fitfully over the waves and through the gray vapors of the incoming fog.

The small girl shivered. The darkness of the night seemed to hide shadows that foreshadowed deeper shadows to come.

A sharp pang of hunger suddenly stabbed through her stomach, followed by a loud growl. Sachiko whimpered and hugged her tummy—she hadn't eaten all day and she was absolutely famished. It was then she caught sight of the tables in the room, tables that were covered with pork buns, roast beef, mashed potatoes, sugar cakes, and every kind of edible delicacy that a little girl could ever desire. Coming close to one of the dishes and picking up a one of the cakes with a great deal of eagerness, she felt her ravenous appetite taking possession of her completely, not even giving a thought that the food could have been tampered with.

"Mmmmm!" The small girl grinned with delight. The cake had been dusted generously with powdered sugar, which spilled down her shirt with the first bite. "This is delicious! I should save some for the others, they'd love this! Maybe I can ask Kikai-san to find out who made this so we can get some more for Kargo-kun's birthday…OH! The others!"

She blinked rapidly as she dropped her cake, desperately racking her memories for bits and fragments of what had happened before she had awoken in this strange room. Darn it, why did all of the images in her head have to be so blurry? Why couldn't she remember—

No, wait. She…she remembered being in that beautiful hallway with Jiro and Kikai. And then…had Dr. Rei been there? Sachiko frowned and pressed her cream covered index finger hard against her forehead, as if the added pressure and sugar would somehow jog her memory. She thought for a moment before nodding. Yes, they had come across Dr. Rei and they had been fighting her.

And then Tsu had appeared.

"Tsu…" The small girl's eyes suddenly widened in horror as an image of an injured Kikai flashed through her mind. Rei had taken Kikai…and what happened to Jiro? Where did he go?

No! Tsu hurt them. He hurt them and she couldn't even tell if they were still alive because she couldn't feel ki signals in the building!

She had to get out of here. She had to find the others! Running towards the door, she grabbed at the handle and turned…only to shriek and leap ten feet away from the door when it opened on its own and Tsu, the _last _person she wanted to see, came strolling in.

_Ack! NO! Sweet mother of Amaterasu, what do I do? I—I have to fight! There's no other choice now!_

"Ah, I see you've awoken, my dear!" Tsu exclaimed cheerfully, grinning at the less-than-happy little girl who was currently looking at him as if he was nothing more than a giant cockroach. "And how are you feeling? Better, I hope? I was worried that I had perhaps drugged you a little too much…"

"Tell me where I am!" Sachiko demanded. "Where's Kikai-san? Where's Jiro? And where's _Goku-san_? You tell me where they all are, right NOW!" She crossed her arms in front of her chest and growled, pouting as she tried to look as serious as possible. This attempt didn't quite work, for she wound up looking so ridiculous that Tsu was overcome with a fit of giggles.

"Teeheehee! You are just so adorable, little one!" He reached out and patted her cheek, only to have his hand slapped away furiously.

"You stay away from me, you meanie!" Sachiko yelled, powering up a white ki blast in her hand and firing it straight at Tsu's face. To her shock, the old master stretched a hand out and caught the blast, rolling it over his fingers like a toy as he smiled gently at her.

"I thought you would have learned by now, child," Tsu said in a low, soft voice, "that such tactics won't work on me. It didn't work at the base, so what on earth made you think it would work now?" He tossed the ki ball lightly in the air before catching it again and squeezing the ball tightly in his fist, making the energy disappear with a quiet _poof_. Despite the situation, Sachiko found herself watching all of this with something close to awe on her face.

"How are you doing that?" She asked curiously, forgetting for a moment that this man was supposed to be her enemy. "How can you just catch and manipulate another person's ki attacks so easily? I've never seen anyone do maneuvers like those before!"

Tsu laughed jovially and patted Sachiko on the head. "Why, it's quite simple, my dear. It's all a matter of perception."

Sachiko blinked. "Per-set-ting-on? What's that?"

"_Perception_," Tsu corrected lightly. "But never mind that. I'll just give you a quick tutorial. You see, when my opponent fires his ki attacks at me, I don't normally see the ki as something that can hurt me."

"But it _does _hurt if it hits you," Sachiko argued, scratching her head in confusion.

"Yes, I suppose it would hurt very much if I let the attack hit me," Tsu replied, still smiling as he casually picked up one of the sugar cakes from a nearby table and took a bite. "But there is one thing about ki that is universal. Energy is energy, no matter if it comes from you, your opponent, a machine, or the cosmos. I have realized, my dear little Dove—" Sachiko let out an annoyed huff at this nickname "—that I can _manipulate_ not only the ki in my body, but even that of my _opponents_ and redirect their own attack against them! This technique is not only effective in throwing your opponent completely off their guard, but it also conserves much of your own energy! A two-for-one deal!"

"Really? That's incredible!" Sachiko thought back to when Tsu had redirected her own Kamahameha Wave back against her, and she tapped a finger against her chin in wonder. "So, you turn your opponent's own strength against him? That's really smart…"

"Thank you!" The old master, popping the last of the cake in his mouth, quickly wiped the last of the powdered sugar off of his lips and gave the small girl a bow at the waist. "Of course, you have to possess basic knowledge of ki manipulation to do this. You also have to be in control of your emotions at all times. Not only do you have to manipulate the energies precisely and carefully, but you also have to be completely calm and collected before trying to use the enemy's ki as your own. Getting nervous, frustrated, or scared can end up in you losing control of the enemy's ki, and that would be very bad. Of course…" Tsu looked up from his bow, his teeth bared in a devilish grin. "If you accept my offer from before, I can teach you this technique, along with many others…"

"Forget it!" Sachiko stuck her tongue out childishly and turned her back to the old master. "I don't want you to teach me anything! All I want is for you to take me to Jiro and Kikai-san and Goku-san right this minute!"

"And I suppose you want to see your precious Kargo-kun as well?" Tsu commented dryly, a remark that quickly put Sachiko on edge.

"Kargo-kun?" Sachiko repeated slowly, not liking the direction the conversation was heading. "What are you talking about? He was fighting Piccolo-san at the stadium! You…you didn't take him, did you? He didn't _lose,_ did he?"

"Um…" Tsu scratched the back of his head uncertainly. "Yes and no."

"…?" Sachiko tilted her head to the side in confusion.

"Well, the Child-who-is-from-Namek-but-who-strangely-acts-human did defeat Piccolo. He _was_ the winner of his match, but…" Here, the old master laughed rather cruelly. "The little fool tried to copy my lighting redirection technique during the storm. He only partially succeeded. When the lightning hit him in the back—"

"Kargo-kun was hit by _lightning_?" Sachiko shrieked, her face becoming ghastly pale with horror. She ran to the door, intent on finding her injured friend when Tsu suddenly grabbed her by the arm and pulled her back into the room.

"Now, now, Sachiko-chan!" Tsu chided, waggling his finger very much in the manner of a father scolding his daughter. "I wasn't done! The boy somehow managed to copy _some_ of my movements, and redirected _some _of the lightning towards his father…but he didn't get all the lightning out."

Sachiko wailed in despair, images of an electrocuted Kargo plaguing her mind.

"Piccolo ended up losing by knock out _and _ring out," the old master continued merrily, as if he was telling a lighthearted joke instead of a tragic retelling of a brutal fight. "However, your Namekian friend ended up collapsing shortly afterwards, and although he was the winner, he was deemed too injured to continue fighting in the tournament…Oh!"

Tsu stared down in alarm as Sachiko grabbed his sleeve and began to tug at it frantically. "Is he alive?" she asked, her voice strained with worry and anxiety. "Tell me he's okay! Kargo-kun's getting healed, right? TELL ME YOU DIDN'T LEAVE HIM TO DIE, YOU MONSTER!"

"Enough!" Tsu pulled Sachiko off of his arm and bent down, keeping a tight grip on her shoulders. "Your little playmate is fine! My employer did not wish for him to die, as his death would result in the dragonballs disappearing, so we healed him just enough for him to ward off death."

"Ward off death? That's not good enough!" Sachiko yelled, tearing herself out of the old man's hold. "Where is he? Take me to him! Take me to Kargo-kun _right now_!"

For a second, the corners of Tsu's lips twitched downwards. "You are in no position to be making demands, child," he said in a low, strangely calm voice. "If anything, you should be begging for his life. After all—" his lips curved into a deadly grimace "—you _did _break our agreement. Coming here to attack me and free Goku, even when he lost…did you think I would let that go so easily, child?"

"I don't care about what you want!" Sachiko retorted.

"And at any rate, you, Master Jiro, and Miss Eighteen have lost the tournament. You three were declared no-shows, and dear 'R' had automatically been declared the winner by default. The crowds were quite displeased, I'll have you know."

"I said I don't care! Why can't you understand that? Stop keeping me here, stop talking to me about things I don't understand, and take me to my friends, you terrible man!"

"…I am sorry to hear you say that," Tsu said with a sigh. "I can see that you can be quite stubborn when you want to be." He then stared at the small girl sadly. (Or at least, Sachiko _thought_ he was looking at her. Oh, how she wished Tsu didn't cover his face and eyes so much…) "Do you…do you _hate _me so, Sachiko-chan? Am I…am I really that much of a fiend in your mind, despite my attempts to be kind to you and only you?"

There was a strange emotion in the old master's words, one that Sachiko had never heard from Tsu's deep, baritone voice before. She couldn't immediately identify it because she never imagined that the old man could be anything other than obnoxiously cheerful, but when she heard a trace of _hurt_ in his tone she looked up at Tsu with wide, surprised eyes, unable to answer his question.

Well, she couldn't answer him vocally, at any rate. But in her mind, she knew the answer. She knew that Tsu was a fiend. He had been responsible (or at least partially responsible) for the village massacres. He had tormented her and her friends to no end, had dragged her most beloved ancestor into her problems, and had repeatedly hurt the woman she admired almost as much as her mother.

Sachiko had no idea why he wanted to be kind to her. Although she wanted to know his reasons behind his actions, although she wanted to know why on earth he was so obsessed with her, a darker, almost hateful part of her didn't really give a damn.

She stood silently in front of the old master, her eyes boring into his covered gaze. As if he could read her thoughts, Tsu sighed softly once again and shook his head. "I wish you weren't so stubborn. I truly care for you, child, and I don't want you to get killed. That is why I extended the game as much as I did."

"If you really, _really_ cared for me," Sachiko replied angrilly, "then you wouldn't have started any of this! You—" she faltered for a moment, before she spoke in a stronger voice "—you're a terrible person. This isn;t a game! You can't just play with the lives of others like they're toys! You took away my entire village, along with my Grandfather and my Okaasan! And now you're trying to take away my friends?" Her hands clenched into tight fists, turning white at the knuckles. "How could you? I can't understand! How could you do something like this? _Why_ would you do something like this? WHY? _WHY?_"

The small girl suddenly stopped, noticing that tears were falling down her face. She quickly wiped her eyes with her arm, gritting her teeth as she tried not to sob. When had she started crying? It just happened without her realizing it…finally, she managed to regain her composure and gave the old master a furious stare.

"I will _never _accept your offer," she said in a shaking, trembling voice. "I will _never_ believe that you did all this because you cared about me. Everything that's come out of your mouth was lies! Why should I believe anything you say, you liar?"

Tsu had been watching her silently as she cried, and for a long while, he said nothing. His lips thinned peculiarly, and his arms twitched as if he wanted to hug the small girl in front of him. Then, after what seemed like an eternity, he reached into his pocket and pulled out what appeared to be a small remote control. Snatching up Sachiko's hand (completely ignoring her yells for him to release her), he pressed the remote control against her palm and closed her small fingers over the device.

"I am sorry," he said solemnly. His voice quivered, as if he was on the verge of crying. "If I had the choice, I would do things very differently…my sweet little child…" He quickly turned and walked out of the room, rubbing his forearm momentarily against his eyes. "Your friends are gathered in the Western Wing of the building," he added briefly. "They are in the rooms with glass ceilings. You can go to them if you wish, although I advise against it. But then again…" The old man chuckled weakly. "I suppose you won't take even a word of my advice, seeing as I'm just a liar."

Sachiko said nothing. Instead, she tightly gripped the remote control, which only had one red button situated right in the center of the device.

"Whatever happens, please believe me when I say that I tried my best to keep you safe." With one last smile, Tsu left the room, leaving the door wide open for her in his wake.

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

Kargo groaned as he vainly tried to sit up on the cold, marble floor. Next to him, he felt Jiro struggle against the chains that Rei had forced him in.

_The plan failed_, Kargo thought dismally, wincing as he felt a hot stab of pain shoot up his back. _I got my ass disqualified, and everyone's captured…_

Although he had been partially healed, he still hadn't recovered enough to be useful for the ordeal that was about to come. In the distance, he could hear Hideaki's muffled and gagged screams as "R" held her in place. The Namek boy gritted his teeth—even Hideaki and Kikai had failed. Ever since Goku had been captured, everything had gone downhill, and the only person who was still supposedly safe was Sachiko.

_Sachiko_. Kargo stared up at the glass ceiling with dazed eyes, noting the cloudy, almost pitch-black night sky above. _Don't come here. It's a trap…save yourself…_

"Are you still hoping that your little girlfriend won't come?" a voice hissed cruelly into his ear. Kargo growled and tried to swipe at the offender's head, but the offender quickly moved away, laughing. "You silly little creature. I've kept tabs on your pathetic group for months. That stupid child will definitely come, especially for you and Master Jiro." The offender grinned at Jiro, who glared so heatedly in return that even Kargo felt a little scared at the intensity of the human teen's anger.

"You little TRAITOR!" Jiro yelled, straining to break out of his chains. "I'll _murder_ you for this! Bank on it! No one fucks with the Kutai family and lives to tell the tale!"

"We'll see," the offender said carelessly, standing up and walking away from the two boys with a smirk. "Of course, you can't _murder_ me, Master Jiro, if I just so happen to murder you first. With Rei and Tsu keeping them busy, that robotic woman, the Pickle Namekian, and that idiot deceased Saiyajin won't be saving you anytime soon. And if everything goes as planned, your company _and_ the dragonballs will be mine…ah!" The offender's eyes suddenly widened in anticipation, and he slinked into the shadows, hiding himself. "I think she's coming! Ha, I knew she would come!"

"No…" Kargo struggled to get up, to get his voice to sound louder than a weak whisper. "Sachi-chan…get away…"

"Kargo! Jiro!" In the dim lights, Kargo and Jiro saw Sachiko burst into the large room, charging straight towards them with the clear intent of setting them free. "Stay right there! I'll help you!"

"Sachiko, no!" Jiro yelled. "It's a trap!"

But it was too late—once Sachiko had reached them, Ke suddenly appeared from a dark corner of the room and, with his entire body glowing eerily, encased the three children in a red, transparent barrier that trapped them in half the room, away from any and all exits.

"What the…?" Sachiko stared at shaggy-haired teen in confusion, the look on her face practically demanding an explanation, but before she could say another word, a loud, clear, _familiar_ voice reached their ears.

"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! GIRLS AND MORONS…WELCOME TO THE FINAL BOUT OF THE TENKAICHI BUDOKAI!"

Sachiko, Kargo, and Jiro all turned to the voice. When seeing who the speaker was, Sachiko's face immediately turned to that of utmost shock and disbelief, while Kargo and Jiro glared in hatred at the two people standing in the distance.

A terrifyingly altered Ryoushi Ganjou stood in the dim light, wearing the black gi and brown cloak that "R" had been wearing at the tournament. While the three remembered the bounty hunter as a man who had had faintly handsome facial features in the past, this was no longer true. Half of his upper body, including a large portion of his face, was now completely made of metal. One clawed, robotic arm flexed occasionally as it glinted menacingly in the light, and the red, artificial left eye made the bounty hunter look like a monster from a world unspoken of. Where there was vitality at one point, indifference replaced it, and Ryoushi was no longer a man who sought his own pleasures. He was now truly, completely, a mindless machine.

But oddly, it wasn't Ryoushi Ganjou's appearance that invoked the children's reactions (although they were still mortified by what had happened to the man who had once been their hated enemy). It was the man standing next to the hunter, the man watching them with a wicked grin on his face, that caused the shock and hatred from the young trio.

The speaker, the offender, the traitor to them all…was Katsu Noh.

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

**Sachiko: Dun dun dun! Part two of our "live action movie" discussion! (turns to Kargo with a shy smile) You know, Kargo-kun, there is ONE thing I liked about the movie trailer. It was so _cool _when Goku-san and Chi-Chi-san _kissed_!**

**Kargo: (blushes so much that his face is glowing) R-r-really?**

**Sachiko: Yeah! It makes me want to kiss someone too! Maybe the person right next to me… :D**

**Kargo: R-REALLY? (nosebleeds)**

**Jiro: (jealous) THAT'S ENOUGH! BACK TO THE REAL DISCUSSION, PLEASE!**

**Kargo: (stammering) U-um, r-right… (to TURMOIL) People will probably flame you for this, you know. W-well, they'll flame _me_ because I'm the one who hates the movie.**

**Jiro: Would you shut up? It hasn't even come out yet! You can't just say it's gonna suck from a freakin' two minute trailer!**

**TURMOIL: Vegeta-clone has a point, oh wise green one.**

**Jiro and Kargo: HEY! Stop calling us that!**

**TURMOIL: But you know, there's one pre-film issue that I can't tolerate for any book/anime/manga turned live-action movie. I wasn't upset about the film changes in the beginning until I found out WHY there were so many changes. Did you know that FOX denied poor Akira Toriyama any rights to intervene in the movie making? That means that the guy who actually made the entire frickin' series has no creational rights over this movie. I can forgive a film company for doing this if the creator is DEAD, but Toriyama is alive. There's no excuse here. -_-;**

**Sachiko: (pales) Toriyama-san isn't working on the movie? Uh-oh… (whimpers)**

**Kargo: (rants) Oh, hell no! The LAST thing you should do is remove the guy who actually wrote the entire story!**

**Jiro: You're just being an asshole, freak. A whiny, crybaby asshole.**

**Kargo: I am so going to kill you one day…**

**TURMOIL: But there is_ one_ saving grace. I don't care about plot changes anymore, or that the characters don't look like their animated counterparts. If Goku and Piccolo—and JUST Goku and Piccolo, because at this point I consider all the other characters to be lost causes—still act like their anime/manga counterparts, then I will enjoy the movie. If Piccolo still acts like a badass demon lord as he did in the manga and anime, I will be happy. If Goku is cheerful and perky and borderline retarded, has a monster appetite, goes into every battle and tries his best whether he _thinks_ he can win it or not—**

**Sachiko: (sniffs) It's not right…T-T**

**TURMOIL: Then I'll be happy.**

**Jiro: That's the spirit, woman! Keep up that attitude for Vegeta when they make the sequel! Because even though the guy is a jerk, he's really the best part of the entire show…**

**Kargo: Well, I'm not happy! I'm protesting this crapfest of a film! Are you with me, Sachi-chan?**

**Sachiko: (wails) GOKU-SAN! I'm sorry! I still like you a lot, even if your movie form is completely different from the real you! T_T**

**TURMOIL: Stop crying, Sachiko-chan! But you know, I have to wonder…if you guys were to be made into live action characters by FOX, what would you look like? Maybe Sachiko will be a weak little blonde brat who goes to boarding school? Will Jiro be a rich British punk who's stronger than her despite the fact that in the real story, Sachiko is stronger than him? The possibilities of screw-ups are endless…**

**Jiro: Well, we all know what the freak's gonna look like…heh.**

**Kargo: THAT'S IT, YOU'RE DEAD! (tackles Jiro)**

**Sachiko: (sighs) Read and review…**


	59. Problems One Must Deal With Alone

Eighteen: This author does not own Dragonball…blah, blah blah, blah bladdy blah.

Sachiko: :3

Eighteen: Did something good happen to you today, little one? You seem...perkier than usual. I guess that means the live action movie isn't bothering you anymore... O_o

Sachiko: Hai, Kikai-san! We have a special guest appearing in the studio today! She's never been here before, but I think you'll really like her!

Eighteen: Oh really? Who is it?

Sachiko: It's my Okaasan! Teehee! :D

Eighteen: (looks alarmed) Your...mother?

Taka: (enters "Start-Up" studio in transparent ghost form) That's right. Mommy's in the house!

Random Audience Member #7: OMIGOSH, SHE'S FREAKIN' HOT!

Random Audience Member #8: SHE'S ALMOST AS HOT AS EIGHTEEN! Almost.

Eighteen: (sweatdrops) She looks like an older version of Sachiko, you idiots!

Sachiko: Okaasan! You made it! :D (runs towards Taka for a hug, but ends up running straight through her) ...Okaasan...I can't hug you! T-T

Taka: (looks apologetic) I'm sorry, baby. Technically I'm still dead in the storyline, remember?

Eighteen: (a bit put off by Taka's presence and crosses her arms in a huff) Yeah, we're aware. Why are you here, anyway? You don't appear very much in the story at all.

Taka: (also looks put off by Eighteen's presence and crosses her arms in a huff) Humph. To be honest, I have no idea why I'm here. This creepy looking lady called TURMOIL dragged me from Heaven in the middle of the night. Said that she wanted to see how some fans would react to me. I have no idea _why _she wants to know such a stupid thing, though...but let's get straight to the chase. I've been keeping tabs on this story, and I see that my baby girl is a bit...taken with you.

Eighteen: (flicks hair away from eyes) And? You have a problem with that?

Taka: Put yourself in my position. Wouldn't _you _have a problem with that? (flicks hair away from eyes in the exact same manner as Eighteen)

Sachiko: (completely oblivious to the tension in the air) Okaasan, don't you know how much I've missed you? HUG ME, PLEASE! DX

Taka: Sachiko! Do not interrupt when the grown-ups are talking!

Sachiko: (whimpers and sniffs back a tear before turning to Eighteen) ...Kikai-san...

Eighteen: What is it, kid?

Sachiko: I'm sad! I want a hug! Waaaaaaaaaah! (Throws herself into Eighteen's arms)

Eighteen: (nervous) Uh, hey! Kid, you know I'm not the hugging type! Get off!

Taka: SACHIKO! How many times do I have to tell you not to hug STRANGERS?

Sachiko: (still clinging to Kikai) I DON'T LIKE THIS! I WANT MY OKAASAN TO BE ALIVE AGAIN RIGHT NOW! (sobs) T-T

_**Chapter Fifty-Nine: Problems One Must Deal With Alone**_

From somewhere in the shadows appeared several men adorned in chef attire carrying a table.

The table was covered with a lacy white cloth and held a large array of hot metal boxes containing many delicious smells and odors. Once they reached the smiling man who was sitting patiently in the middle of the room, the chefs quickly set up the table, heaping plates with roast beef, mashed potatoes with gravy, sweet potatoes topped with gooey brown marshmallows, little green peas with big yellow blobs of butter melting in them, fried rice that had bits of pork and celery and bean sprouts, rosebud radishes that were cooked so carefully that they made even the pickiest of men salivate with hunger—

Goku's stomach rumbled loudly as he eagerly picked up a plate that one of the chefs offered to him. "Thank you!" he chirped gratefully, before he proceeding to devour every edible item within reach despite the fact that a similar sort of feast had been brought to him only half an hour ago. Not even once did it occur to the large Saiyajin that there might possibly be something phony in the entire setup, that something threatening was looming ominously in the not-too-distant future.

Of course, there _was _the constant threat of Tsu, but Goku told himself that he would deal with the old master just as soon as he was done eating the grilled fish.

Yup, just as soon as he was done eating the strawberry pies.

Just as _soon _as he was done eating the spaghetti…

Darn it, why was everything so tasty?

Meanwhile, the chefs all sweatdropped as they watched the large Saiyajin consume their dishes in the manner of a vacuum cleaner. "That guy can't be human," the youngest murmured, his face turning a pale shade of green as Goku stuffed an entire leg of lamb into his mouth. "His stomach should have exploded by now…"

"Just do what Master Tsu says," the oldest chef replied in exasperation. "The old man's paying all the expenses for this freak's meal, so just keep stuffing the idiot until he pops…"

There was a loud slurping noise, followed by a belch and a satisfied sigh. "More soup, please!" Goku called out happily, much to the dismay of the chefs. "Aw, don't look like that, guys! I just wanna have a few more bowls!"

At this, the chefs completely lost their ability to speak. But thankfully, they were refrained from having to comply with Goku's request due to the fact that the entrance door had suddenly slammed open, distracting the Saiyajin long enough for the cooks to run out of the room.

"Hey!" Goku stared after the fleeing chefs with wide, confused eyes. "Wait a second! What about my soup? I'm still a tad hungry, you know!"

"Ahaha! I think you have eaten enough for now, Goku!"

At the sound of Tsu's cheerful voice, Goku immediately stood up from the table and took on a fighting stance just as the old master entered the room…but to his surprise, Tsu merely smiled at him and took a seat on one of the empty chairs.

"Such a stern expression for a normally happy boy!" the old master exclaimed as he picked up a glass of juice that had miraculously escaped Goku's ravenous appetite. Taking a small sip, Tsu smiled and held the glass out to the large Saiyajin. "I do hope you've enjoyed the spread, my good boy. Everything you've eaten was grown or raised right here on this island. Did you like the sweet potatoes? They're my favorite dish, actually…"

"Oh yeah!" Goku replied, laughing happily despite the fact that he was standing before the man who was supposed to be his enemy. "It was all really delicious!"

Tsu chuckled. "I'm quite happy to hear that! You know, you should really try this orange juice with a bit of soda water. I'm not a hard drinker, so Dr. Rei finds my choice of beverages to be rather childish, but I can't deny my preferences. It really is a good drink! Besides, it would be silly to pour bitter whisky down your throat just because it would make you look older and more—" here, the old master scoffed _"_—_sophisticated_, wouldn't it?"

"Yeah!" Goku nodded energetically. "I always tell Vegeta, 'I don't care that it's silly for a grown man to get so excited over grape-flavored popsicles!' I like grape-flavored things…they're my favorite!"

"Exactly! Finally, a kindred spirit who understands the sanctity of one's personal preferences!"

"I don't know what you just said right now, but whatever it is, I agree with you a hundred percent! Oh, and thanks for the meal, by the way," Goku added sheepishly, scratching the back of his head nervously as Tsu grinned in response.

"As long as you've enjoyed it, then I've done my duty as a good host."

"But seriously, I haven't had food that good since the last time Chi-Chi made me a meal!"

"Chi-Chi?" Tsu stared at Goku curiously, before a look of recognition came over his masked face. "Oh! That would be your lovely wife, am I correct? How is she doing in the Land of the Dead?"

"Um…"Goku blinked, before he tapped a finger against his chin in thought. "Well, during one of my last visits to Civilian Heaven, she said that she was fine. I wish she could be with me in Fighter Heaven, though. This might sound strange to you, but for some reason, things just aren't the same without her yelling at me. The Grand Kai said that he's trying to pull some strings for me so that she could get her body back and live with me, but I haven't had much luck so far…" Goku sighed forlornly, and Tsu shook his head sadly in agreement.

"To be without the noisy women we love…" The old master took another sad sip from his glass. "That, my good boy, is truly a tragedy that no man should have to experience, whether he's dead or alive or somewhere in between."

"Somewhere…in between?" The large Saiyajin stared at Tsu curiously. "What do you mean?"

"I've rambled a bit too much," Tsu said shortly, tossing the last of his drink back in one gulp. Standing up from his seat, he turned towards Goku and gave the Saiyajin a devilish smile. "I believe, my good boy, that had the circumstances been different, you and Sachiko-chan and I might have all been swell friends."

"…" Goku said nothing. At the sudden change in the older man's mood, he suddenly felt apprehensive and could not find the right words to say.

"Alas, as the situation stands, you and I are separated by the laws of the Goddess of Death, and Sachiko is separated from me by ties of which I cannot speak of at the present moment. Thus, this brings me to my current point." Tsu's smile grew even wider until his teeth were bared at Goku in a terrible grimace. "Goku Son, I wish for you to go back to the Otherworld. I wish for you to forget everything that's happened here, and I want you to resume the life of ignorant bliss that you had been living for the past six hundred years."

"What?" Goku blinked, completely confused as to what the old man had just asked of him. "You—you want me to go back to the Grand Kai's planet?"

"Ladies and gentlemen, he can be taught! Bravo!" Tsu grabbed Goku's arm and pumped it up and down enthusiastically, which only served to confuse the large Saiyajin even further. "Yes, that's exactly what I want! Go back to that pathetic excuse for a god, and we can all return to our mundane lives! Go home, Goku. Forget about Sachiko-chan. At the rate she's going, she will be joining you in the Otherworld soon enough…"

"WHAT? No way!" The previously comfortable and congenial atmosphere vanished, and a serious, grave look overcame Goku's handsome features. "Tsu, come on. It's not too late—from what I've just seen, I can tell that your heart isn't completely evil. Don't do this and stop this madness! Let Sachiko go and leave her alone!"

"I cannot do that," Tsu replied gently, playing with a broken cufflink on his sleeve. "I have my orders, and while I can normally find loopholes, letting the child go would be a definite breach of them."

"Tsu!"

"My good boy, that is quite enough." The old master looked up at the large Saiyajin, his mouth thinning as he turned his gaze towards the entrance doors, which were once again opening. "The child has problems that she must deal with alone. Besides, you have enough on your hands at the moment anyway."

"Huh?" Goku glanced at Tsu questioningly, but stopped when his eyes immediately fell upon an emotionless Rei walking into the room, her stiletto heels clicking in perfect rhythm against the marble floors.

The doctor was dragging a half-conscious, black-and-white clad adult Namek behind her, along with an injured blonde woman. While Goku didn't recognize the Namek (even though for some reason, he reminded Goku of a more muscular and slightly taller Dende), the woman looked oddly familiar. The blonde was dressed in a strange, baggy blue outfit, but there was a large tear in the woman's midsection, a tear that revealed a metal plated stomach which contrasted horribly with her pale skin.

And then he saw her face.

_Eighteen!_

Goku's eyes widened when he recognized Kikai, and he rushed over to her immediately as he tore her out of Rei's grip. "Eighteen! Eighteen, wake up! What happened to you?"

"Ugh…" The blonde woman opened her eyes wearily, before she turned her head painfully towards Rei and scowled. "That bitch…decided to give me a new torso…after the old bastard ripped my stomach out."

"…EW!"

In the mean time, Tsu and Rei watched the two with mildly amused smiles. "I see that you've fixed her new wound," Tsu remarked cordially to Rei, who in turn replied with a slight nod of the head. "You could have grafted some skin for her, though. I must say, all that gray is lowering Miss Eighteen's level of attractiveness quite a bit…"

"Why don't you two just kill yourselves?" Eighteen snapped angrily. Gritting her teeth as she shoved Goku away, she slowly, agonizingly managed to stand up on her own two feet. "Seriously, why won't you just go away and _die_? I've had enough of you two to last me a lifetime and a half!"

"Now, now, Miss Eighteen…" Tsu waggled a finger mockingly in front of the blonde's face. "Don't get mad. You'll get wrinkles all around your lovely eyes."

"Shut up." Kikai leaned against the wall and wrapped an arm around her recently repaired stomach. "Where's Sachiko and that vulgar little boy? What did you do to them? Where are they?"

Tsu shrugged. "I could tell you, but in a few moments it won't matter for either the girl or her friends…"

"WHAT?" Goku's jaw dropped while Kikai's eyes widened in horror.

"What…what do you mean?"

Everyone in the room fell quiet as the Namek, now fully conscious and stirring, picked himself off the floor and rubbed the right side of his head, where one could clearly see a stripe-shaped scar lining all the way down his cheek. The Namek groaned aloud before he looked at Goku and Kikai with dazed eyes.

"What…what the hell hit me? Where am I? I…" The Namek then froze when his gaze fell upon Tsu and Rei, the former of which was smirking while the latter looked nonplussed. "YOU! What the hell did you two do to me? Where the hell am I?"

"Oh dear." Tsu bent down slightly and whispered very audibly into Rei's ear. "I do believe that the Child-who-is-from-Namek-but-who-strangely-acts-human has succeeded in short-circuiting your delightful little mind controlling device. He has, through copying my Lightning Redirection move, succeeded in freeing his father!"

"A pity," Rei murmured dully. "That now makes Piccolo expendable."

"Piccolo?" Goku blinked at the Namek, before grinning and slapping a hand (rather painfully, in Piccolo's perspective) on the Namek's back. "Well, hi there! I didn't think Piccolo's name would have carried out this far! I'm Goku, and—"

"This is NOT the time for introductions!" Kikai yelled, slapping Goku hard upside the head. "Damn it, Goku! Sometimes I wonder if you even have a brain in that empty skull of yours!"

"Hey! That's not very nice, Eighteen!"

While the two bickered, Piccolo took the opportunity to slowly walk towards Tsu, grabbing the old master by the collar and forcing Tsu to look him in the eye. "What the hell were you talking about, you lunatic?" Piccolo whispered quietly, shaking Tsu slightly as his voice began to tremble. "Why won't it matter in a few moments? What the hell were you talking about? WHERE IS MY SON?" At this point, Piccolo's voice had risen to a near scream, and it was all Goku could do to grab the Namek around the waist and pull him off of the old master, who did not seem to be the least perturbed by what had just happened.

For what seemed like an eternity, there was silence. Then, there was a soft clearing of the throat, and Rei's robotic voice echoed through the room.

"The girl, the Namekian child, and the Kutai siblings are with our superior. It is his duty to make sure that they all die, and he has even taken the hunter with him to ensure his success."

Goku cocked his head to the side. "The…hunter?" He thought for a moment, before his eyes widened in realization. "Oh! Wait! Isn't he the guy who died at the base?"

The doctor turned her emotionless gaze towards Goku. "Affirmative. However, the hunter had not died, Goku Son. 'R' was his alias for the tournament, and the hunter's current physical state is much like that of Android Eighteen's. In short, Ryoushi Ganjou is now a cyborg." Rei moved a stray strand of hair away from her face, and adjusted her thick, obscuring glasses so that they were resting perfectly on the bridge of her nose. "The little girl's power is not only inconsistent, but it only lasts for a short while. Even with the assistance of the Namekian child and Master Jiro, the chances of them surviving the encounter with Ryoushi are slim—they have an eight-four percent chance of fatality."

"W-what…?" Piccolo dropped Tsu in shock and backed away in horror. "N-no…"

"You've got to be kidding me!" Kikai quickly turned to Goku and grabbed his arm. "Use your Instant Transmission, you idiot! Find Sachiko and help her!"

"But Eighteen," Goku said nervously, "I can't use transmission here! I need to be able to trace ki signals and this building makes it impossible to do that!"

"And besides," Tsu interrupted quietly, "what on earth makes you think that we'll allow you three to even go look for the children in the first place?"

"Excuse me?" Kikai arched an eyebrow. "You can't keep us in here against our will, old man."

"Statistically? I suppose not." Tsu glanced at Goku warily, before he smiled cheerfully. "But still…it doesn't mean we can't stall you long enough from saving them in time!"

And then, without warning, Tsu and Rei attacked.

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

The shock was so overwhelming that it took Sachiko several minutes for the severity of the situation to sink into her head.

She was trapped in a room with no exits, mostly due to the betrayal of her former friend, Ke. The red barrier that the shaggy-haired teen had put up was crackling with raw energy, and even if she did turn Super Saiyajin now, she doubted if she would have the necessary time or power needed to break the shield. And then there was Jiro and Hideaki. Their legs and arms had been chained and they were unable to move. In Hideaki's case, she had been gagged and Sachiko could see that the older girl was unable to breathe properly.

And Kargo…

The Namek boy was lying in the corner, groaning as he tried and failed to rise to his feet. His clothes were torn and ripped in several places, and Sachiko caught a glimpse of a large burn on Kargo's back, a burn that was still raw and bleeding and stained right through his gi and hoodie.

"K-Kargo!"

Pulling herself out of her stupor, the small girl immediately rushed to the Namek boy's side, her hands glowing a bright blue as she pressed the healing ki against his wound. Kargo hissed sharply, before he let out a breath of relief as the intense burning in his spine and muscles lessened considerably. "Sachi…chan…" He looked up at the girl gratefully, and Sachiko sniffed back a tear and she helped him up. "Thanks…"

Sachiko said nothing—instead, she sniffed again before hugging him hard around the waist, causing the Namek boy to blush a dark shade of red. "Kargo-kun, this isn't good, is it?" she whispered, burying her head against his neck. "Are we gonna die?"

"Sachi-chan…" He couldn't reply. Honestly, how could any boy respond to something like that without being either overly optimistic or insanely pessimistic?

"Um, hello?" Jiro glared jealously at the two as he dragged his chained body towards them by sheer force of will. "Have you two forgotten about me already? I'm sort of chained like a goddamned animal here!"

"Mmmph!" Hideaki agreed, her words muffled by the gag that had been stuffed into her mouth. Tearing herself out of Ryoushi's grip, she wormed her way over to the three youths. "Mmmmph, mmmmfmph, MMMMMMMMPPPPH!"

"Oh! I'm sorry!" Sachiko pulled away from Kargo (who looked somewhat reluctant to let her go) and bounded over to Jiro and Hideaki, quickly shooting small ki blasts at their chains while gingerly pulling the gag out of Hideaki's mouth. "Ewwww." Sachiko made a face as she dropped the saliva coated handkerchief to the floor. "It's all icky and spitty!"

Hideaki didn't immediately reply to this—she spat out whatever taste of the handkerchief was left in her mouth, before she turned around and glared angrily at the smirking Katsu. "What's going on?" she demanded furiously, getting up and crossing her arms in the manner that only a true heiress could pull off. "Why the hell did you bring us here, Katsu?"

In the distance, Katsu laughed cruelly. "You mean it's not obvious, _dear_?" he sneered, leaning against Ryoushi as he toyed with a blaster that hung from his holster. "you're trapped, and _I _trapped you. Simple as that."

"No, it's NOT as simple as that!" Hideaki shrieked, her hands clenched into fists as she glared at her former lover in sheer hatred. "This mess is so complicated that my head hurts from trying to figure it all out! Are you the one who attacked Sachiko's village? Are you the one who tried to burn Capsule Corporation's reputation to the ground?"

She was interrupted here by Jiro, who stepped in front of his sister as his eyes bore icily into Katsu's. "Are you the traitor?" he asked in a low, dangerous voice. "Are you the one who betrayed us, you fucking jerk? ARE YOU THE ONE WHO TRIED TO FUCK UP ALL OUR LIVES, YOU FUCKING PRICK?" The cold deadliness of Jiro's tone made Katsu falter—Sachiko saw him back away slightly from the human teen's anger momentarily, but it didn't last for long and the smug look returned to Katsu's face in less than a second.

"On the record," the traitor replied as-a-matter-of-factly, "I suppose I _am_ the responsible one. I suppose I did order the Amaterasu forest shrines to be attacked, and all of its inhabitants killed. And yes, I suppose I _did _try to ruin Yuji Kutai by stealing his family's company right from under his nose." Katsu stepped behind Ryoushi for cover and laughed. "Yes, I suppose when you look at most of the facts, I _am _the one who tried to ruin your lives! Hahahaha!"

"You—YOU BASTARD!" Jiro ran at Katsu in a blind rage, only to be slapped effortlessly aside by Ryoushi and subsequently getting knocked into a nearby wall as a result.

"Jiro!" Hideaki screamed and rushed towards her younger brother to help him, only to have her path blocked by the bounty hunter, who was staring at her with a dead look in both his real eye and his artificial one. The young woman whimpered and backed away—Ryoushi was not standing before her as a man, for his appearance no longer held any semblance of that of a human being. He was standing before her as a machine, a _thing_. He was now nothing more than a mindless tool of the smaller man standing behind him, the man who was smirking wickedly at her as he hid behind the relative safety of the bounty hunter.

_Katsu-san…Why? WHY? I thought...didn't you love me? _

"Ryoushi," Katsu ordered lazily, not even bothering to give Hideaki a second's glance, "Do me a favor and kill this annoying bitch first, will you? You can't believe the shit I had to do to keep her happy as my _girlfriend _for so long. I swear, if it hadn't been for my faith in Lord Amatsu I would have surely gone insane…"

_Well, I guess that answers my stupid question!_

"You son-of-a-bitch!" Hideaki cried, backing away from the bounty hunter in horror as he took a menacing step towards her. "Oh gods! Ryoushi, you might be a jerk, but you're still my relative! Please, don't kill me! Mother will never forgive you if Jiro and I are killed! Oh gods, _don't kill me_!"

But her words were not reaching the bounty hunter's ears. Hideaki screamed and shut her eyes tightly as his hand shot out, painfully grabbing at her throat. His strong fingers clenched with impossible strength, and Hideaki choked as she felt her windpipe collapse, her oxygen intake completely cut off as she prayed for death to come upon her quickly—

—and then, just like that, his hand was gone. There were the sounds of two kicks simultaneously connecting with one skull, followed by a loud crash and a dismayed cry by Katsu. With her windpipe now released, Hideaki coughed and sucked in as much air as she could, opening her eyes to see Ryoushi suddenly on his back, staring blankly at the ceiling as two figures stood over him.

Hideaki gasped.

Kargo, who was still in much visible agony from his lightning injury, was leaning heavily against Sachiko for support. The small girl held up the Namek boy with one arm while holding a powerful ki blast in her free hand, her normally cheerful and happy face now hard and grave, showing no signs of her usual perkiness. But it wasn't only Sachiko's expression that startled Hideaki so much.

A golden aura surrounded the small girl, with sparks of electricity crackling off her golden, slightly spiky hair. As the child's green eyes narrowed coldly at Katsu, Hideaki felt both relieved…and frightened at the same time.

_Five minutes to go, Sachiko-chan…five minutes and counting…_

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

**Taka: …WHAT? TURMOIL's ending it here?**

**Sachiko: (still hugging a disgruntled Eighteen's arm) Uh-huh. (to the audience) I don't want my mommy to be a ghost anymore...**

**Taka: NO! The chapter can't end here! I have to see what happens to my baby and Kargo and Piccolo!**

**Eighteen: What the hell does Piccolo have to do with any of this? Don't you mean Jiro?**

**Taka: No.**

**Eighteen: ...**

**Taka: ...**

**Eighteen: The implications of that one word scare me. Does that mean that you...**

**Taka: Hey, it could be worse. I could have fallen in love with a bald midget with no nose. (smirks at Eighteen)**

**Eighteen: ...**

**Taka: ...**

**Sachiko: (oblivious) Um, what's going on? **

**Eighteen: Kid, end the "Wind-Down" right now. Your mom and I are gonna have a little talk with our fists outside.**

**Taka: So that's how you wanna play it, cyborg? Fine. I'm sure the author will be kind enough to give my body back for five minutes. MAX.**

**Eighteen: Cocky little twit...**

**Sachiko: Huh? Oh, fudgecookies, I guess I'll end the chapter here. Read and review...and hope that my Okaasan gets her body back! T-T**


	60. Five Minutes of Power

Sachiko: Our author does not own Dragonball. So stop trying to sue her, please!

Kargo: Hey, Sachi-chan? Where's Eighteen and Taka-san?

Sachiko: Hmm? Oh! Kikai-san and Okaasan are outside the studio! They said that they were gonna have a talk with their fists, teehee! Hey Kargo-kun, how do fists talk, anyway?

Kargo: (sweatdrops) …

Sachiko: Oh well. I'm just happy that Kikai-san and Okaasan are getting along! :D

Kargo: (sweatdrops even more when he hears a loud CRASH outside the studio, a woman screaming, and another woman chuckling rather evilly) …

Jiro: (eye starts twitching when he also hears the explosion) … Hey, Sachiko?

Sachiko: Yeah?

Jiro: Were you dropped on your head when you were a baby?

Sachiko: Nope! But I think Goku-san was. Thank god he didn't die though! I'm glad he's okay and that his brain wasn't damaged…um, why'dya ask? :3

Jiro: …no reason. -_-;

Sachiko: Ooooooh! I just remembered! Have you guys seen the new Dragonball special movie?

Kargo: "_Yo! Son Goku and His Friends Return!_" I saw it. It was hilarious!

Jiro: Seriously, seeing that asshole Vegeta throw a temper tantrum over Goku stealing his sushi…CLASSIC! Brilliant blackmail material! XD

Sachiko: But it wasn't very nice of Vegeta to steal Goku-san's pork! I'm gonna send Vegeta-san a letter telling him what a big mean poopiehead he is!

Kargo: You go ahead and do that, Sachi-chan. But seriously, that movie reminded me of the good ole' Dragonball times. Not Dragonball Z or Dragonball GT. This movie had the original Dragonball comedy, and I must say that I liked it.

Jiro: I'm surprised that Toriyama-san still had his old sense of humor despite not working on Dragonball for, what…twelve years? He also cleared up a few rumors…but I won't say them here, because that would be spoiling the movie for those who haven't seen it yet. That, and because I like torturing the readers. MWAHAHAHAHA! XD

Sachiko: (pouts) Jiro, don't be so mean…

Kargo: Yeah, rich boy. You're acting like a total jackass…again.

Jiro: (growls) …

Kargo: But onto important stuff. About ninety percent of this chapter is fighting. Seriously. TURMOIL kinda sucks at writing fighting scenes, so…don't kill her okay?

Jiro: (holds up a small sign that says, "KILL HER! KILL HER!") …

Sachiko: JIRO!

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

_**Chapter Sixty: Five Minutes of Power**_

"Fucking jerk…" Having finally recovered from Ryoushi's slap, Jiro slowly stood up and joined Sachiko and Kargo, rubbing his cheek angrily as he took his position by the small girl's side. The three children all glared heatedly at the bounty hunter, who was currently in the process of picking himself off the floor and dusting himself off in a lifeless, mechanical fashion.

Only the sounds of harsh breathing penetrated the silence as Ryoushi faced the trio, standing only a few feet away from them as his eyes stared dully into their intense gazes.

And then, without warning, the three children all attacked at once. Sachiko flew low and aimed a bone breaking sweep kick at Ryoushi's knees while Kargo simultaneously punched the bounty hunter in the face. At the same time, Jiro broke to the side and planted his foot hard into the hunter's stomach with a vicious side-kick, and the resulting force from all three blows sent Ryoushi slamming backwards into a wall as Katsu looked on in morbid horror.

"What are you doing, you useless piece of cybernetic trash?" the traitor shrieked, shaking his fist at Ryoushi as the bounty hunter shook his head slightly in an attempt to regain his center. "Kill them! Kill the girl, kill the Kutai siblings! But keep the Namek alive! I need him alive long enough to use the dragonballs!"

"What?"

Sachiko, Kargo, and Jiro all stared at Katsu with wide, stunned eyes. Had they all heard him correctly? Katsu had just admitted to ruining all of their lives for seemingly no reason just a few moments ago. He admitted to wanting to kill them all without even batting an eye…and now he wanted to take the one thing that would help them regain any sense of normalcy in their lives?

"You insane jackass!" Kargo shouted furiously, clenching his fists while Jiro seethed and shook with anger. Sachiko, however, became absolutely livid.

_That selfish, terrible man! How dare he?_

"We will _never_ let that happen!" Sachiko shrieked, the golden aura flaring around her in fierce, terrible flames before she, Kargo, and Jiro hurled themselves at Ryoushi once again. Six pairs of hands and fists attacked from every angle, stabbing and grabbing, groping for any hold as the three children did everything they could to get Ryoushi to fall down once and for all—

A flicker of shock appeared for the briefest of moments on the bounty hunter's face as he tried to block their kicks and punches. Ducking his head as Kargo attempted to claw his eyes out, Ryoushi twisted his body in impossible angles and moved about like a dervish, preventing their attacks from connecting.

Across the room, Hideaki stared at the fight in awe, completely paralyzed with fear as Ke, who was still holding up the red barrier, watched on with a look of apprehension on his face.

"This will not end well," the shaggy-haired boy murmured.

He soon proved to be right. After thrashing at the surrounding frenzy like a man trapped in a swarm of hornets, the bounty hunter suddenly let out an inhuman roar, startling all three of the children long enough for him to grab Jiro brutally by the neck and fling the boy towards the other side of the room. At the same time, he sent a crushing kick aimed directly at Kargo's lightning wound, and the hunter's foot collided with Kargo's spine with a sickening _crack_.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGH!" Both boys screamed in pain as they collided hard against the red barrier and collapsed to the floor in an injured heap. Jiro hissed and clutched at his slightly crushed neck while Kargo curled up on the ground and whimpered, trying to find a position where he _wouldn't_ be in ridiculously mind numbing agony.

It hurt so much it hurt so much it hurt so much—

"LEAVE THEM ALONE!" Sachiko screamed, leaping into the air and throwing a ki-focused punch square into the chest of Ryoushi, only to yelp when he caught her fist and twisted her arm sharply, halting her entire attack dead in its tracks. Before she could recover, Ryoushi suddenly held out a glowing red hand in front of her face…

…and delivered a full powered ki blast right into her chest.

_Four minutes to go…_

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

"HYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

Goku and Tsu flew at each other, screaming. Seconds before they collided with one another the two men suddenly disappeared, only to reappear moments later near the ceiling as they clashed several times up in the air, each easily blocking whatever punch or kick the other tried to land on him. Tsu grabbed Goku by one of his arms and swung the large Saiyajin downwards, only to have Goku swerve himself to the side and land a kick to the old master's jaw, causing him to let go of the Saiyajin's arm.

"Ooof!" A trickle of blood flowed down Tsu's face, and the old master wiped off a small portion of it with one finger, staring at the red substance with a grim smile. "Well played, my good boy…BUT HOW ABOUT THIS?" The old master clasped his hands together and formed a large ki ball, holding the energy over his head as if he was about to hurl it directly at the large Saiyajin. Goku held his arms out to block the incoming attack—

—only to be caught completely off guard when the ki ball disappeared from Tsu's hands without warning.

"Hey, you can't do that!" Goku yelled, trying to sense where the attack might be. But the building made ki detection impossible and all Goku could do for a few agonizing seconds was blink around in confusion…before he suddenly let out a shriek as the ki ball burned into him from behind, setting the back of his gi on fire. "AAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGH! HOT, HOT, HOOOOOOT!"

From below, Kikai growled angrily, ducking behind a steel wall for cover just as Rei threw a punch in her direction. "Transform, you idiot!" she yelled at Goku, wincing as Rei's fist made an enormous dent in the steel. "What the hell is wrong with you? Transform to SSJ4 and kill him already!"

"What's—ACK! What's SSJ4?" Piccolo asked, leaping backwards and throwing a barrage of yellow ki blasts at Rei, all of which the middle-aged woman expertly dodged. "Damn it! Look, Goku or whatever your name is, do this SS-crap that the blonde woman is telling you to do! My son and my best friend's granddaughter might be getting slaughtered right now!"

"But—but I don't want to hurt Tsu!" Goku protested, dodging several of Tsu's attacks as finally got the flames on his back to die down. "He's not completely evil!"

"Not completely evil?" the blonde screamed in outrage, unleashing a wave of fuchsia-colored ki that caught Rei right in the middle of a kick and sent the doctor reeling several feet back. "Are you _insane_, Goku? Tsu is the lunatic responsible for giving me three new body parts! TRANSFORM NOW!"

"No more talking!" Tsu yelled, growling in frustration as he tackled Goku in midair and slammed the large Saiyajin into the ground. The old master held his other hand above Goku's head and grinned sardonically. "You should listen to Miss Eighteen, my good boy! I'm afraid that your misplaced compassion will now result in me chopping off your head!"

"W-wait a minute Tsu! ACK!" Tsu's arm came down and Goku rapidly thrust his own out, blocking the attack just as the Saiyajin's hair suddenly became spiked and golden, just as his green eyes suddenly narrowed dangerously at the old man. Before Tsu could react, Goku flipped the old man over his head and quickly got to his feet, lunging at Tsu who was in the midst of trying to regain his balance.

But before he could reach the old master, Rei pushed Kikai and Piccolo aside and grabbed Goku's leg as he passed, grunting loudly as she threw him at the wall.

"EEEEEEEEK!" Goku halted his body inches before the cold steel surface, only to shriek when his face hit the wall with a loud _smack_ as Kikai and Piccolo kicked Rei right into Goku's back. "Ow…that hurt…"

"Hahahahahahaha!" Tsu slapped his knee and guffawed out loud as Goku peeled his face off the wall. "Oh, my dear boy! You're a riot! You're almost as endearing as my sweet little Sachiko-chan! Don't you think so, Rei?"

The old master suddenly teleported over to Rei, who in turn shoved Goku away from her as she slipped her arm into Tsu's with a dull flicker in her eyes. "Of course," she murmured dryly, fixing her hair with one hand until it was once again tied into a perfectly tight bun. "His mannerisms are almost an identical match to the female child's. It is logical that it would invoke such a reaction from you."

"As accurate as ever, my dear! Hahahahaha!"

Goku and Piccolo, who sweatdropped as they watched Tsu and Rei, turned to one another and exchanged confused glances. "Um…New Piccolo?"

"What is it—hey!" Piccolo stared at the large Saiyajin with astonished eyes. "_New _Piccolo?"

"Well, I don't wanna get you mixed up with the Piccolo _I _know, and—"

"Never mind! What do you want?"

"Um…is it just me, or did Tsu and Rei…just…stop fighting us for no reason at all?"

"Ah." Piccolo's eye twitched, before he sighed and nodded his head. "…yes, Goku. Yes, they did."

"Well, now!" Tsu wrapped an arm around Rei and grinned deviously at Goku, Kikai, and Piccolo. "What's the point in all this, hmm? I don't really feel like fighting much anymore, and I would like to avoid killing at all costs. Having your blood on my hands and your heads on my mantel isn't a very appealing thought to me, so why don't we all just have a nice cup of tea and scones and wait for the children's fight with the bounty hunter to end? I can order the chefs to make us a fine chocolate cake while we wait…"

"ALL RIGHT!" Goku cheered, powering down to his base form as he pumped a fist in the air. "Bring on the cake! OW!" Goku rubbed the back of his slapped head as he gave Kikai a hurt stare. "Eighteen! Why did you hit me? That hurt!"

Kikai didn't immediately answer—she flexed her slightly sore hand and focused her icy blue eyes only on the smiling Tsu. "What are you up to?" she asked in a flat, deadpanned tone. "What sick trick do you have up your sleeve?"

Tsu cocked his head to the side curiously. "Why, whatever do you mean, Miss Eighteen? I thought a break would be good for the five of us, that's all!"

"Liar." The blonde rolled her eyes, her face devoid of any outward anxiety she was feeling at the moment. "Look, you insane excuse for a man," she retorted coldly. "I have the measure of you. I know you get off on wasting our time with your fifteen minutes of idle threats and innuendos, but—as incredible as it may seem—we actually have somewhere we have to be. Could you just save it for later and let us find Sachiko?"

"And my son as well?" Piccolo piped up, only to get elbowed rather rudely by Kikai for speaking out.

"…"

For a moment, Tsu's face didn't change. Then, the old master threw back his head, roaring with laughter, pressing one hand to his forehead. Kikai glanced from him to the wide expanse of open hallway behind him, a hallway that _possibly _led to wherever Sachiko and the others were being held. As unobtrusively as she was able, she stepped quietly on the toes of her blue boots, trying to sneak past Tsu while his mind was diverted by his own personal amusement. Goku and Piccolo were right behind her, and the three of them tiptoed towards the exit, looking as if they had just stepped out of an old Abbott and Costello film.

But just as the three were about to pass Tsu, he opened his eyes, the laughter wiping from his face as instantly and cleanly as someone flipping a light switch. His arm suddenly shot out, blocking the doorway, and Kikai was forced to take a step or two back. The old master cocked his head to one side, studying her with interest.

"You know, for a woman who doesn't seem to care about having emotional connections with _any _living being anymore, you seem to have developed a strange attachment to my dear Sachiko-chan," he remarked, his tone light. "But, as I stated before, you are not permitted to go near her until her fight with my superior and Ryoushi is over."

"That's not fair!" Goku yelled, only to receive a glare from Rei that was so chilling that he unconsciously shrank away from the middle-aged woman.

"Nothing is fair, my good boy," Tsu replied quietly, although his smile was directed only at Kikai. "The children have set a strange, unfathomable path for themselves, and I personally believe that it would be better if you all simply remained in blissful ignorance about what that path might be." His lips twisted into a leer. "Don't you agree…Miss Eighteen?"

"…" Kikai growled softly as she glimpsed a flash of vacuity in Tsu's smile. When he chuckled softly, she was unable to hear any of his usual sardonic cheerfulness; all she heard was a pit of emptiness. She began to wonder, with an ever-increasing amount of dread, if the old loon had finally lost it.

If that was the case, then their nightmare was only just beginning.

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

Her breath was coming out in short pants, her chest was burnt from Ryoushi's last ki attack to her chest, and she could already feel her Super Saiyajin power slipping away from her.

But she had to fight on, had to battle off the fatigue.

Sachiko's fingernails screeched across the bounty hunter's face, forming five red, angry lines across his cheek. Blood came out in tiny spurts, dripping down his cheeks as Ryoushi's eyes finally revealed his first real display of emotion.

_Despair_.

Both eyes, the real one and the artificial red one, stared at her in _despair_, and for a moment the small girl froze, not understanding why the hunter would look at her in such a way. But she paid dearly for her lapse in concentration when as he grabbed her by the front of her shirt without warning, and pulled her face towards his until their noses were only inches apart.

And then, much to her surprise, he spoke two words.

"Kill…me…"

Her eyes widened, and for a second she could have sworn that there were tears underneath the lashes of Ryoushi's real eye.

"Kill…me…"

Why would he ask her this? Could it be that the real hunter was still somewhere inside this metal-made monster? Why—

She couldn't think anymore, for as quickly as the look of despair appeared, it vanished. A blank, emotionless look overcame the bounty hunter's face, and he suddenly landed a series of savage blows that stunned Sachiko, making her slip in her concentration, making her flinch, making her lost for just a moment, suddenly vulnerable.

This gave the hunter the opportunity to pin her to the ground, and he raised one of his fists in the air, ready to hit her—

In desperate retaliation, Sachiko kicked him in the face, breaking his nose and ripping open his upper lip with the treads on her boot as Ryoushi released her with a pained roar. She clambered backwards, unaware of the remote control falling out of her pocket due to the sight of Jiro rushing towards Ryoushi at high speeds, twisting his body at the last second to smash an elbow hard into the hunter's face.

The bounty hunter stumbled backwards, momentarily stunned. But he quickly recovered and grabbed the human teen by the arm, spinning Jiro around his body like he was a decathlete in the hammer toss before he released his grip and sent Jiro crashing headfirst to the ground. Disoriented and dazed, the boy landed only a few feet away from Hideaki, who now had something clenched tightly in her fists as she rushed towards Jiro and tried to get him up.

"Jiro-kun! Are you okay?" Hideaki pulled Jiro to his feet, only to be rudely shoved aside as the boy tried to regain his composure.

"Leave me alone!" he hissed, leaning heavily against the wall as he tried to see where Ryoushi and Katsu were. "Damn them…I'll kill the two of them, I swear! Fucking me over like this…I'll gut them like a _fucking fish_!"

"Jiro…" Hideaki stared at her younger brother in shock, before she turned angrily at Ke, who hadn't moved from his spot as he held the red barrier in place. "YOU!" she yelled, marching up to the shaggy-haired teen and pounding a hand angrily at the barrier that separated the two of them. "You're no better than that shit headed ex-boyfriend of mine! Aren't you supposed to be Sachiko's friend?"

"I love her more than life," Ke replied softly, his eyes glued to the fight as he watched a tense looking Sachiko, along with Kargo and Jiro, charge at Ryoushi once again, the three children and the bounty hunter punching, kicking, and grappling one another, all locked together but in constant motion as the energy around them grew more and more and more powerful—

"Some friend you are!" Hideaki's grip tightened around the remote control as she glared venomously at Ke. "You trapped her in a death pit, you Judas! If you had any shred of decency left, you'll put down this goddamn barrier and help me find Goku!"

Ke's gaze suddenly turned to the remote control, and his jaw dropped. "Where…where did you get that?"

"Huh? This?" Hideaki stared at the device with a careless eye. "I don't know! It fell out of Sachiko-chan's pocket! But who cares? Go get Goku, you jerk!"

A look of nervousness flashed across Ke's face, but his voice remained calm. "This is not Goku's fight. Sachiko and her friends must defeat Katsu and Ryoushi alone."

"THAT'S NOT GOING TO HAPPEN!" Hideaki screamed, clawing at the barrier in an attempt to reach the unmoving sixteen-year-old. "YOU'RE COMPLETELY INSANE! SHE ONLY HAS TWO MINUTES LEFT!"

Behind her, there was a loud yell as Ryoushi suddenly ducked Sachiko and Jiro's ki blasts and shot a powerful blast of his own at the human teen. Sachiko flew upwards while Jiro dodge rolled and countered with another array of blue energy blasts, but Ryoushi merely let the attacks hit him as he charged up a very large, very deadly looking orange-red ball of ki in his hands.

Suddenly, a shrill cry rang throughout the room. All fighting halted for a split second as all eyes turned to Katsu…whose back was forced against a wall and was currently being choked to death by Kargo. Fury lined every inch of the Namek boy's face as his fingers closed around Katsu's throat, and the others could only watch in horror as Katsu's face turned blue, as one of his hands scrabbled about the wall behind him before a sudden, sick grin spread across his face.

Hideaki saw it—Katsu's fingers were curled around a wire in the fuse box on the wall—he was pulling at a fuse—

The entire room suddenly became pitch black, with only feeble bits of moonlight streaking through the glass ceiling above.

A loud yelp suddenly echoed through the room, followed by Kargo cursing loudly as Katsu's fleeing footsteps could be heard. "Get back here, coward!" the Namek boy yelled. "There's nowhere to run!" And this was true. The thin streak of light that formed the red barrier was still slightly visible, indicating that Ke had not put down the barrier, not even for Katsu. But because none of them could feel ki, he, Sachiko, and Jiro could not sense anything or anyone in the room. That meant that they would have to rely on their sight, and that wasn't possible either.

The only clearly visible things in the room were Sachiko, who was still in her Super Saiyajin state, and Ryoushi, who was still holding his large ki blast in his hand…

…and was still aiming it at where Jiro had been standing last.

And Sachiko knew. She knew that there was a window between the moment when Ryoushi understood what had happened and the moment where he could fire the deadly blast at Jiro. It was a window that was only a fraction of a second wide—

—but it was wide enough.

Ryoushi, with an animalistic yell, threw the blast at Jiro, who was momentarily too stunned to move. Sachiko flew downwards, standing right in front of the older boy as she mirrored what Ryoushi's stance had been before the lights went out. Her hands began to glow white, and just as the orange-red blast was about to hit her and Jiro, she thrusted her own hands forward and _caught _the attack.

"What the fuck?" Jiro cried out from behind her, but Sachiko paid him no heed. She could feel the energy burning rapidly into her hands, and she knew that Ryoushi's ki was rejecting her attempts at manipulating the core of the energy, rejecting her attempts to make the energy _hers_.

_You also have to be in control of your emotions at all times_, Tsu's voice rang in her mind._ Not only do you have to manipulate the energies precisely and carefully, but you also have to be completely calm and collected before trying to use the enemy's ki as your own…_

Calm. Right, she had to be calm…

Taking a deep breath, Sachiko closed her eyes and regained her center, allowing her white ki to gently seep into the angry orange-red energy of Ryoushi's attack. In seconds, the burning sensation left her fingertips, and she knew, without looking, that the blast was now under her control. She then turned her body around full circle, dragging the altered blast with her, adding some of her own energy to the attack, and then…

…she thrusted Ryoushi's own attack right back at him.

"NO!"

Katsu's horrified scream could be heard all over the room, but it was too late. Ryoushi couldn't—or _wouldn't_—move, and the redirected attack hit him right in the center of his body, slicing cleanly through his metallic midsection as he slammed hard against the barrier, his body slumping to the floor.

He was not moving.

Sachiko stared at his still body with a mixture shock and relief and horror.

_It's…over…?_

At that instant, the lights came back on. Sachiko, Kargo, and Jiro all turned towards Hideaki, who was standing near the fuse boxes with a cocky smile on her face.

"And God said, 'let there be light'," she said smugly, crossing her arms as Jiro snorted and Kargo shook his head and sighed. Sachiko, who felt the familiar burnings on her neck, head, and chest, immediately powered down to her base form, panting slightly and blowing on her slightly burned hands.

That fight had taken all five minutes. She would not be able to power up as a Super Saiyajin again for quite a while…

She didn't want to, but she knew there was still one more problem to deal with. She turned her attention once more to Ryoushi's unmoving body. Standing next to the bounty hunter, begging pathetically to the cyborg to get up and fight, was Katsu.

"Hunter! Get up! They're going to kill me!" Katsu grasped at Ryoushi's front and shook him madly, panic now spilling erratically from his voice. "GET UP, YOU USELESS PIECE OF SHIT! _GET UP_!" But when Ryoushi didn't move, Katsu then turned to Ke. "YOU! LOWER THE BARRIER RIGHT NOW! LET ME _OUT_!"

"But you told me to not lower the barrier under any circumstances, Master," Ke replied innocently, the corners of his lips twitching upwards.

"_FORGET WHAT I SAID AND FUCKING LET ME OUT_! _**PLEASE**_!"

"Aw, isn't that cute?" Jiro spat coldly, advancing on the cowering Katsu with a wicked glint in his blue eyes. "The little traitor knows how to beg."

"So, what should we do?" Kargo asked mockingly, standing besides Jiro as he winced at the waves of pain that gushed forth from his back. "Should we kill him quickly and painlessly…or slowly and torturously? I can never choose with people I _despise_."

"Same here, freak."

"Guys…" Sachiko came up from behind the two boys and placed a gentle hand on their shoulders, an action that immediately caused the boys to blush. "Do—do we have to kill him?"

"…WHAT?" Jiro stared at Sachiko with a look of disbelief. "Are you kidding me, Sachiko? Of course we have to kill him!"

"But—but—" Sachiko stared pitifully at Katsu, who was curled over and sobbing for his life. "Look at him! I…"

"Don't tell me you feel sorry for him!" Hideaki yelled, making Sachiko flinch at the angry tones in her voice. "You heard the bastard, Sachiko! You heard him admit that he murdered your entire family, your villages! You heard him admit that he wasn't even the slightest bit sorry for destroying our lives! How could you pity him?"

Sachiko hung her head, biting her lip. If anyone had the right to be angry, it was her and Hideaki. After all, Katsu had not only stomped on Hideaki's heart, but he had tried to steal her company as well…

She suddenly felt a hand on her shoulder, and she looked up to see Kargo staring down at her.

"Sachi-chan," he murmured softly, "we have to."

"But Kargo-kun!"

"He already said that he wanted to use the dragonballs. Even if we let him go, what's gonna stop him from trying to kill us and get the dragonballs again?"

Silence.

His hand squeezed her shoulder softly. "Sachi, you know what has to happen."

"I know." A sad look crossing her face, Sachiko, Kargo, and Jiro walked towards Katsu, who was still curled over and whimpering. The small girl bent down and shook Katsu's shoulder. "Katsu-san…I'm sorry. You brought this onto yourself…"

Katsu whimpered. "Please…don't…"

"I have to…"

"I'm—I'm sorry!"

And here, Sachiko stopped, uncertainty and confusion filling every corner of her heart as she hesitated for a brief second.

But a second was all Katsu needed.

From underneath his shirt, the traitor whipped out one of the dreaded blasters and pressed the tip right at Sachiko's stomach, firing three shots right into her center before she even knew what was going on.

The next minute was a blur to her. All she felt was—

—pain, so much pain—blood was blossoming all over her white shirt—

Kargo was screaming, but he sounded as if he was a million miles away. She felt him pull her body to his, saw his blurry lips move as he desperately begged her to hold on…

Jiro was absolutely livid with rage and she saw his fading outline attack Katsu, but Katsu had been kicking Ryoushi like a maniac after he had shot her, and to everyone's horror the bounty hunter was _getting up_…

Hideaki was backing away, her hands covering her mouth as she bit back screams…

And now Ryoushi was up again, clearly moving against his own will, and he tackled both Jiro and Kargo, driving into them, toppling them backwards until the three of them crashed into the ground.

Through her blackening vision, Sachiko saw Kargo, Jiro, and Ryoushi's forms merge into a single shadow, limbs flailing wildly as they all tried to separate. Gone was the grace and precision of fighting that had been present earlier. Kargo, forgetting his own pain and weakened state, was swinging his fists like clubs, tears streaming down his cheeks and he and Jiro bludgeoned the bounty hunter's skull again and again, screaming her name all the while.

Each blow exchanged tore open flesh, spilled blood, and sent shivers of pain up the forearms of the three males. The fight was chaotic and violent, like dogs trying to rip out each other's spines—

But Katsu, like the devil he was, found his mark first.

His hands clamped like jaws onto Sachiko's throat. He leaned into her, laughing manically, as he tried with all of his might to crush her windpipe.

"NO!" Hideaki leapt on top of Katsu, beating him with her fists as she tried to pull the traitor off of the small girl, but to no avail. Sachiko gasped, thrashing madly, having no energy left at all to transform and having no blood left in her body to even make a move in her defense…

Ke watched all of this in horror, and finally lowered the barrier as he mumbled something that the others couldn't hear.

The small girl stared up at the ceiling, where the full moon finally shone past the clouds.

Her last view…it was so beautiful too.

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

Tsu, bloodied and disheveled, leaned backwards just as Goku's fist sailed over the top of his head. He had been losing to Goku (as he had expected), but he had rather been enjoying the fight until _that _message suddenly sprouted in his head.

The old master suddenly stopped, his mouth dropping. Then, without warning, he teleported before Goku's kick could connect with his torso.

"HOLD IT!"

Goku, Kikai, and Piccolo halted in their tracks. "What is it NOW?" Piccolo roared in frustration. "You keep interrupting this fight for the stupidest reasons! I've had enough!"

"Be silent," Rei growled, her appearance no longer the epitome of perfection. Amazingly, her glasses had remained unbroken, and she pushed them up the bridge of her nose until it was once again resting perfectly on her otherwise bruised face. Turning to Tsu, she said impassively, "The child is in distress."

"Worse than that, my dear. Our plan has taken a rather ugly turn…"

His lips thinning in what appeared to be anger, Tsu pushed past Goku and grabbed Rei, running through the hallways toward where the children were. Stopping halfway, Tsu turned to Goku with an uncharacteristic growl.

"Well? Are you coming my good boy, or is your concern for dear Sachiko-chan only skin-deep?"

For a moment, Goku, Kikai, and Piccolo stared at the old master in confusion. The question of whether this man was an enemy, a charismatic fiend, or simply an insane old man flitted through their minds, but when they heard the chilling scream of Hideaki Kutai echo through the halls, the trio quickly pushed all thoughts of Tsu aside and ran towards the children.

There were more pressing matters to deal with.

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

**Sachiko: (chews at drumstick) Turkey day, turkey day! I love Thanksgiving, teehee! :D**

**Kargo: (sips at a bowl of pea soup) Yeah, this holiday is great, even for me. I get so many varieties of soup that I actually enjoy eating.**

**Jiro: Wait a second. How did we go from talking about Toriyama's new Dragonball movie…to eating Thanksgiving dinner?**

**Kargo: Well, since we had to watch Goku and Vegeta stuff their faces like idiots, it got Sachiko hungry too. Then, she offered me some soup, and…well, here we are.**

**Sachiko: Have some pie, Jiro! (slips a forkful of apple pie into Jiro's mouth)**

**Jiro: (blushes, then chews and swallows) …**

**Sachiko: (grins) It's good, right? :D**

**Jiro: (mumbles and blushes even more) Yeah…**

**Kargo: (jealous) ANYWAY! Some people have been complaining that in the new movie, it wasn't action-filled.**

**Sachiko: But it was only made for fan service anyway! I mean, it was sooooo funny, and besides, aren't people tired of seeing movies where Goku gets his butt kicked, and the somehow manages to save the day by pulling a miracle in the last ten seconds? Besides, I liked this movie. The bad guys became nice in the end, and Vegeta-san's final stage of character development was shown! :D**

**Kargo: Of course, the fight scenes were a bit lackluster…but the comedy more than made up for it, and I actually kind of like Vegeta-san now. And at any rate…this movie is probably a **_**bazillion**_** times better than the live action movie FOX is making, because Toriyama ACTUALLY WORKED ON THIS MOVIE! DX**

**Sachiko: (stares at the food that Goku and Vegeta are eating) Mmmm…Kargo, they have roast beef! I want some! I'm gonna get Kikai-san and Okaasan and then we can all go eat at a buffet!**

**Jiro: (facefaults) WAH! Sachiko, you just ate an entire turkey dinner!**

**Sachiko: But I'm still hungry! (pouts) **

**Kargo: (sweatdrops as he hears a loud explosion from outside) Um, maybe we can all go later, Sachi-chan. I think Taka-san and Eighteen are still trying to kill each other—I MEAN THEY'RE STILL TALKING TO ONE ANOTHER! Ahahaha…yes…talking is what I meant, not killing…ahahaha… (laughs nervously)**

**Jiro: (rolls eyes) Freak, your excuses are lamer than Steven Hawkins's legs.**

**Sachiko: (gasps in horror) O_O**

**Kargo: (looks repulsed to the highest degree) YOU INSENSITIVE JERK! **

**Jiro: …too soon, huh?**

**Kargo: BAH! Readers, just read and review…after all, the next chapter is the last one…**


	61. Long Night's Journey into Day

Kargo: Our author does not own Dragonball. So stop implying that she does, you jerks!

Sachiko: …

Jiro: …

Kargo: …well, this is it.

Jiro: The last chapter of _Rebirth of the Dragon_.

Sachiko: (tears up) NO! I don't want the story to end!

Jiro: Oh, stop blubbering, you big crybaby! Even if this is the last chapter, the story isn't ending anytime soon!

Sachiko: (blinks) Huh?

Kargo: That's right! Remember…TURMOIL's planning a sequel to this, remember? She mentioned it in her profile!

Sachiko: (thinks for a moment, before she gasps) OH! That's right! The second part!

Jiro: Exactly. And we'll be _older _too, which means we can have even more violent hatred towards other characters than before. Mwahahaha… (grins wickedly at Kargo)

Kargo: …Rich boy, I want you to stay fifteen feet away from me at all times from this point on. -_-;

Sachiko: Well, the sequel's a good thing, I guess. But…what'll happen to us? I mean, in the last chapter, I GOT SHOT IN THE TUMMY!

Kargo: Don't worry! I'm sure our author is planning on a great comeback for you! You're one of the three main characters! You won't die…right TURMOIL-san?

TURMOIL: …

Kargo: (slightly nervous) TURMOIL-san?

TURMOIL: …

Kargo: …

Sachiko: WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH! I'm gonna die! (sobs) T-T

Kargo: (panics) NO YOU WON'T!

Jiro: (panics as well) That won't happen! TURMOIL, you bitch! Say something! Tell us that Sachiko won't die!

TURMOIL: …

_**Chapter Sixty-One: Long Night's Journey into Day**_

"STOP IT! LEAVE HER ALONE!"

Hideaki clawed at Katsu's back, desperately trying to get him off of Sachiko as the small girl's face turned into a putrid shade of dark purple. But for all her efforts she might as well have been scratching at a brick wall. Her hits hardly fazed him, and Katsu merely laughed in Hideaki's face, shoving her cruelly to the floor before resuming his task of strangling Sachiko.

"How does it feel, you misbegotten child?" he hissed coldly, gazing intensely at Sachiko's writhing form as the last bits of life slowly faded from her body. "You were never meant to exist in this world anyway! You are a disgusting tarnish to all things living!"

Sachiko didn't respond. Her reddening, bloodshot eyes were fixated on the full moon that shone through the glass ceiling.

"The gods were _never _on your side! Your death is a blessing to them—your existence is nothing but a curse to all those near you—AGH!"

The traitor shrieked in pain as a small, gray squirrel suddenly flew out from underneath Sachiko's shirt, latching onto his face as it bit down on his cheek fiercely. Katsu flailed around in agony, dropping Sachiko as his hands scratched wildly at the Bloodthirsty Squirrelly Squirrel, earning himself several more bites from the crazed animal before he finally managed to fling the squirrel to the floor and stomped hard on its small body before it had a chance to get away.

"HA!" Katsu grimaced as he crushed the flailing animal underneath the sole of his shoe. "You disgusting, demonic little beast! Go back to hell where you belong!"

The gray squirrel's limbs convulsed wildly, his body desperately trying to live on despite the fact that his innards were being crushed beyond repair. The creature tried to bite over, under, through, and around the man's shoe, in a final attempt to leave _some _kind of lasting injury…but eventually, his movements slowed, growing more and more sluggish. Then, the movements stopped entirely.

Sachiko observed all of this from the back of her increasingly hazy mind, to weak to even whisper a word of protest. She couldn't take it. She couldn't take the pain that was literally destroying the life within her body, the unending corruption of everything she held dear, and the throbbing headache that began the moment she looked at the full moon. She was unsure of whether she was really still awake, or trapped in some hellish nightmare.

___Mr…Mr. Squirrelly Squirrel…I want to wake up…I want this bad dream to end. My tummy, my chest, my HEAD…it all really hurts…_

The moon shone above her, both mocking and comforting her with its soft lunar light.

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

Ryoushi had finally managed to untangle himself from Kargo and Jiro, and was now in the process of stomping on Kargo's torn and bleeding back while attempting to crush Jiro's skull between his hands. Jiro screamed through his pain and tried in vain to kick at the bounty hunter while Kargo, who was on the verge of collapsing, reached out in desperation for Sachiko's unmoving form.

"N…no…" The Namek boy shut his eyes and grunted as the heel of the hunter's boot began to grind mercilessly at his spine. "S-Sachi…"

Ke stood in the background. He watched all of this with horrified eyes as Hideaki ran up to him, clutching at the front of his shirt with tears streaming down her cheeks. "PLEASE HELP US!" she begged, shaking Ke with every bit of energy she physically possessed. "THEY'RE ALL GOING TO DIE!"

"I…" Ke struggled internally for a moment, his face contorting slightly as if he was in pain. "I have my orders…"

"FUCK YOUR ORDERS! THEY'RE ALL GOING TO GET MURDERED! _PLEASE_! _THEY'RE JUST KIDS_!"

"I…I…" Ke struggled for only a moment more, before his resolve finally broke. _Tsu, _he thought sadly. _Forgive me. You know that I cannot stand by idly in situations like these. The child is of our flesh and blood and I love her… _

A second later, an answer fluttered softly through his psyche, like a gentle whisper in the wind. _I understand. Do what you must, my lesser._

_Thank you._

Turning to Hideaki with his lips thinning grimly, Ke asked in a low, serious tone, "Miss Hideaki, do you still have that remote control you were holding earlier?"

"The remote?" Hideaki blinked, before her eyes widened in realization and she quickly pulled out a small remote control from her pocket. "Yes! I have it here! But what am I suppose to do with it?"

Ke snatched the remote from the young woman's hands and gave her a strange, chilling smile that looked completely identical to Tsu's. "Just watch and learn, my dear," he said in a morbidly cheerful voice, his thumb playing with the surface of the red button for the briefest of moments…before he pressed it.

At first, Hideaki thought that nothing had happened. Her temper now boiling over its limit, she was on the verge of smacking Ke senseless when she suddenly heard a loud gasp from Ryoushi.

_What the…?_

She looked behind her and saw Ryoushi stumbling away from Kargo and Jiro, the former of which was laying half-conscious on the ground while the latter was massaging his nearly-crushed scalp with a pained look in his eyes. A muscle twitched in the bounty hunter's cheek, and Ryoushi suddenly stopped dead in his tracks. His head began to jerk continuously to the side, and his eyes rolled back into his head as his breaths became shorter, harsher, and faster.

Hideaki backed away, more than a little confused by the sudden change of events. _What the hell is going on? What did Ke do?_

"What the fuck is wrong with Ganjou?" Jiro yelled in horror, scooting away from Ryoushi as he dragged Kargo's limp body alongside him. "Did one of his circuits break, or something?"

"You'll see," Ke replied loudly, grinning.

Without warning, a large spackle of electricity suddenly emerged from Ryoushi's metallic body parts, and the bounty hunter began to scream as he fell to the ground, grabbing his hair and yanking on it roughly as his body began to twist in pain and agony. The red light in his artificial eye began to ebb and fade away, while an intense look of recognition began to appear in his real eye.

"H-Hideaki!" Ryoushi cried out, clutching at his head as he stared at her in desperation. "Hideaki, kill me—please kill me—don't want to hurt anymore—AAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGH!"

After one long, final scream, a large wave of electricity burst from Ryoushi's body, and the bounty hunter fell to the floor, unconscious.

Silence.

"Oh…my god…" Hideaki stared at Ryoushi's fallen body, before she turned to Ke with a relieved and grateful expression. "Ke…thank you! You saved us! You're not such a creepy jerk after all!"

The sixteen-year-old didn't reply. Instead, his gaze was focused on Katsu, who was staring at the scene before him with a look of utter disbelief.

"What the…" Katsu stepped away from the Bloodthirsty Squirrelly Squirrel's dead carcass and approached Ryoushi's unmoving body with a critical eye. "Goddamn it! Don't tell me he's broken again! I just had him fixed!" The traitor kicked angrily at the hunter's leg, only to yelp and back away when Ryoushi began to stir. "Ah, never mind! He's up! Whew, he had me worried for a second there…"

"WHAT?" Hideaki's eyes widened as Ryoushi slowly rose to his feet. "No! What the…KE!" The young woman glared icily at the shaggy-haired teen, who didn't so much as flinch at Hideaki's rage. "What the hell was _that_? I thought you killed him, you jerk!"

Ke simply smiled and jerked his head towards the bounty hunter. "What I did was better, Miss Hideaki. Take another look. You'll be pleasantly surprised…"

"Huh?" Hideaki turned around warily, and gasped in surprise when she saw Katsu being held up in midair by none other than Ryoushi himself. "W-what the hell's going on?"

"That's what I'd like to know!" Katsu cried out, before yelping in fright as Ryoushi shook him hard by the collar. "H-hey now! I am your master, you cybernetic trash! Unhand me at once!"

"Heh." Although he was breathing heavily and looked wearier than he ever did in his life, Ryoushi's lips were twisted into a wicked smile, and his real eye had regained some of his old vitality. With the red light in his artificial eye now entirely extinguished, the bounty hunter slowly pulled Katsu towards him until their faces were only inches apart, and he said in a low, dangerous voice, "Listen…you little maggot," he panted, both his real fingers and his metallic ones digging hard into the traitor's shirt. "You…and Tsu…and that bitch Rei have _mutilated _me for life! You all tried to kill me back at that base…and then you turned me into a fucking slave." The bounty hunter then smirked, his teeth bared in a terrible grin. "Well now…your mind tricks aren't working anymore, are they? I'd say it's time…that I got some damn PAYBACK!"

"ACK!" Katsu wiggled like a worm in Ryoushi's grasp and turned to Ke in desperation. "KE! Help! I'm commanding you to help me!"

"Sorry, Master Katsu," Ke replied sweetly, holding his hands in the air as a sort of pacifying gesture. "But our lord's orders for _me _were that I only help you in obtaining Sachiko. He _never _stated that I had to assist you in any other matters."

Katsu stared at Ke in complete disbelief, before his face twisted with rage and loathing. "YOU DISLOYAL SON-OF-A-BITCH! I'LL—"

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGH!"

A terrifying scream suddenly tore through the air, stopping the hearts of everyone in the room. Slowly, they all turned to the source of the scream…

…and immediately wished that they hadn't.

Sachiko was flopping all over on the floor, her bloody body trembling and contorting into grotesque positions as she let out several violent cries. Her eyes, the whites of which were becoming a frightening black, were wide and dilated as it remained locked with the full moon above.

"S-Sachiko!" Despite their injuries, Kargo and Jiro ran up to the flailing girl, gripping her shoulders hard as they tried without flinching to look into her eyes. Kargo felt his heart freeze with horror when he saw several red cracks appear in her face, but he forced himself to remain calm as he desperately tried to get Sachiko to regain her senses. "Sachi! Sachi, please! Pull it together!"

"Damn it, you idiot, calm down!" Jiro yelled. "It's us!"

"Ah…ah…" Sachiko limbs jerked against Kargo and Jiro's restraints as she bit her lip until it bled. Her mind desperately tried to hold itself together, while her body desperately tried its hardest to hold back a scream as sudden, hot pain shot through her heart.

Throughout all of this, she had not once broken her gaze from the full moon.

_Someone…what's happening to me? Help me…_

But no one did.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGH!"

With an unworldly shriek, Sachiko flew into an insane rage. Before Jiro knew it, the small girl's fist impacted hard with his nose, and he was sent tumbling to the ground. He tried to regain his footing, but Sachiko's boot smashed into the back of his head, sending him downwards again.

"Sachi!" Kargo grabbed the small girl by the arm and tried to pull her off the human teen, but Sachiko, who strangely seemed to recognize him even in this state, merely gave him a brutual shove before continuing her assault on Jiro.

"Sachiko!"

Three pairs of hands now joined Kargo's in an attempt to hold Sachiko down. Goku's arms wrapped around Sachiko's bloody waist and he yanked her away from the beaten Jiro, struggling to maintain his hold on her as she kicked and flailed in his arms. "Sachi-chan! Snap out of it! It's me!"

"What the hell happened?" Kikai cried, attempting to restrain Sachiko's arms, only jerk away as Sachiko tried to claw her eyes out. "What's wrong with the kid? Why is she bleeding and what happened to her _face_? What did Tsu and his sick bastard friends do to her?"

"He didn't do anything!" Kargo retorted, wincing as Sachiko began to elbow Goku hard in the stomach. "Sachiko got shot, Katsu tried to strangle her—"

"Wait, Katsu?" Kikai blinked. "What the heck does he have to do with all of this?"

"I'll explain later! Right now we have to get Sachiko under control—"

"_LET_…_ME_…_**GOOOOOOOOOOOOOO**_!" Elbowing Goku so fiercely that he had no choice but to release her, Sachiko collapsed to the floor. With a low moan, her hands clutched at her head as fur began to appear all over her body, ripping through her clothes as her nose and mouth began to form an animalistic snout. Through her short, harsh breaths, Kargo could see sharp teeth emerging from her mouth while her ears grew long and pointy, and her body began to grow in size as her arms reached out for the full moon.

And then he realized what was happening.

_The Oozaru…_

"Darn it, she's transforming!" Goku cried out, his eyes widening as he immediately formed a ki blast in his hands. "Everyone, cut off Sachiko's tail! We have to cut off her tail before she transforms! HURRY!"

But before the large Saiyajin could fire, Sachiko turned towards him and kicked him so roughly in the jaw that he ended up crashing into Kikai and Piccolo, both of whom had unfortunately been standing behind him. Gasping as she stumbled away from the others, Sachiko's body grew massively in mere seconds, her form now completely ape-like as her gigantic head smashed clear through the glass ceiling.

The only thing that remained the same was her gold eyes and the red cracks in her face.

"_RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRR__!_"

The Oozaru screamed her rage to the night sky, beating primitively at her chest while kicking down the building around her into useless debris.

"What...what is this?" Katsu cried, ducking a fallen beam as he stared at Sachiko's new form in terror. Upon spotting the traitor, Sachiko roared in displeasure and stomped towards Katsu, trying to crush him with her massive feet. "Aah! Get away from me!" Katsu shot feebly at the monster with his blaster, all the while trying to run towards the exit.

But Sachiko only growled as the blasts hit her body and, concentrating a large amount of ki in her mouth, she shot a devastating mouth blast at him. Katsu miraculously managed to dodge it, only to be swatted into a crumbling wall by Sachiko's monstrous hand. As he tried to get up, more debris fell over his body, trapping him as Sachiko stomped closer and closer to him. Shaking with fear, Katsu shrieked and covered his eyes just as she raised her fist in the air, preparing to crush him once and for all—

Suddenly, a blue ki blast struck Sachiko directly on the back of her head, and she turned around to see Tsu flying behind her, readying another ball of energy in his hand.

"Cut off her tail!" the old master yelled to Goku, Kikai, and Piccolo, all of whom quickly powered up and flew upwards to avoid another piece of falling debris. "Cut off her tail, my good boy! And you—" Tsu turned to Kargo and Jiro "—help me to distract her! She won't harm you two…especially not you!" He grinned teasingly at Kargo, only to yelp a second later when Sachiko slapped him in midair and sent him hurtling upwards into the sky. "OW! My dearest Sachiko-chan, that really HURT!"

Sachiko only roared, and began to run after Tsu with a look of fury on her ape-like face. The old master prepared a ki blast in his hand, throwing it at the girl's chest…and cringing when it had no effect on her at all.

Ducking another slap, Tsu tried to fly behind her, but she quickly turned around and pounded the old master face first into the ground, creating a _very _large crater.

"Ow…"

At this point, Goku had hurled several ki blasts and Kikai had sent a Destructo Disk at Sachiko's tail, but the girl had merely leapt into the air, avoiding the attacks while landing with such a heavy impact that even more of the building fell apart.

"This isn't good!" Hideaki shrieked, clutching onto Ke as the shaggy-haired teen set up a barrier around them to ward off the falling debris. "At this rate, the collapsing building will kill us before Sachiko does!"

"Sachi!" Kargo flew in front of the rampaging girl, holding his arms out to the side in an attempt to halt her in her tracks. "Sachi, please stop! It's me!"

Silence.

Just like that, the rampage stopped. There were no roars, no bellows, no fists and legs flying in every direction, trying to smash everything and everyone in their paths. There was only a thick, tense silence, and the disbelieving gasps of all those in the ruined room.

Unbelievably, mind-numbingly…Sachiko had stopped.

Although she was still breathing in a feral manner, her eyes softened ever so slightly in recognition. The red cracks in her face seemed to shrink as she stared at Kargo, blinking at him as if she did not know what to do with him. But when Jiro also flew up in front of her, something happened, something that neither boy knew how to respond to.

Sachiko…in her Oozaru form…smiled.

Her sharp teeth glistened menacingly as Sachiko's ape-like face broke into a huge grin. Reaching out a gigantic hand, Sachiko gently poked a finger the size of a school bus against Kargo's stomach, roaring in _laughter_ when the Namek boy let out a grunt of discomfort. She then began to clap in an infant-like manner, accidentally sending Kargo and Jiro flying backwards from the resulting wind she created with her movements.

"Oh my…" Tsu, who had pulled himself out of the debris and had dusted the dirt from his suit and mask, watched the scene with something close to wonder on his face. "This is a rather interesting development…"

Sachiko, after realizing what her clapping had done, hovered over Kargo and Jiro worriedly, and poked Jiro on the top of the head to make sure he was alright.

"Ow." Jiro scowled and rubbed his head as he tried to push Sachiko's massive finger away. "Get that out of my face, Sachiko! This isn't exactly the time to play!"

But the girl, who was past understanding words and speeches, merely laughed again and continued to poke at his head. While she was distracted, Goku quietly teleported behind her, looking determinedly at her tail.

"Here's the problem," he muttered, before he shot a blast of hot yellow ki at the base of the girl's tail, completely searing it off. The enormous brown appendage fell to the ground and Sachiko howled in pain, trampling about in agony as she began to shrink.

"SHIT!" Kargo and Jiro quickly scrambled away, narrowly avoiding being trampled to death as they took to safety in the air. The second they were out of Sachiko's striking range they looked back, their eyes widening in shock as the fur slowly began to disappear, the snout faded back into the sweet face they all recognized, and her sharp teeth withered away. Soon, the giant Oozaru shrank back into the form of a tiny, naked little girl, and with a gasp Sachiko was normal again, blinking at the scene around her for only a second before she fell face forward onto the ground, unconscious.

The cracks on her face were completely gone, as were the blackness in the whites of her eyes.

But there was no time to dwell. The building, no longer able to hold itself up, began to creak and moan as the critical supports finally gave way. Now panicking slightly, Kikai ran forward and grabbed Sachiko off the ground, turning to Tsu with a heated glare as the old master, Rei, and Ke stood over the trapped Katsu. "Where's the exit, old man? Tell us before the damn building falls on us and kills us all!"

"Besides," Jiro added with a sneer, his ki suddenly bursting all around his body, "we still have unfinished business—"

"There is a hidden exit on your right when you first reenter the hallway," Tsu replied boredly, his gaze not moving from the struggling Katsu. "The switch is behind the painting of the lion being hunted by dogs. Flip it and the doorway should appear."

"Right!" Hideaki immediately grabbed a loudly protesting Jiro and Ryoushi and dragged them towards the hallway, with Piccolo gripping Kargo by the arm and following Hideaki's lead despite Kargo's attempts at resisting. Goku and Kikai, the latter of which was still holding the unconscious and naked Sachiko, glared at Tsu, Rei, and Ke, all of whom were still hovering over the whimpering Katsu.

"Get me out!" Katsu cried, trying to push the heavy rubble off of his lower body while grabbing at Tsu's nearby leg. "For the love of the gods, help me! You were placed under my orders…you _have_ to obey me! HELP ME! ACK!" Katsu cried out in pain when Rei stomped down hard on his hand, forcing him to let go of Tsu's leg as she torturously dug the tip of her stiletto heel into one of his knuckles.

"What a shame," Rei said emotionlessly, her obscured eyes focused on the traitor's attempts to free himself from the debris. "This punishment has been taken too far."

"I don't understand," Ke murmured, cocking his head at Katsu in curiosity. "How could our lord have placed a weakling like him over me?"

Tsu smiled devilishly at Katsu, and pressed his foot against Katsu's throat. "Even divided, I am far more powerful that _you _will ever hope to be. The only reason I am here under your command is because my _real _master wanted to punish me for an earlier transgression."

Katsu choked, and scratched helplessly at Tsu's leg. "Reiketsu, you—you can't—"

"Can't I?" Tsu's smile widened and he pressed his foot so hard against Katsu's throat that in the next second, there was a disturbing _crunch_. With a final, fleeting gasp, Katsu's eyes faded until it was completely white, and his body fell limp under the falling debris. Tsu then calmly removed his foot from Katsu's crushed throat, and smiled innocently at the stunned Goku and Kikai. "Please forgive that little act of violence on my part. You see, I have not had the most…_enjoyable_ experience with my late superior, and I felt that it was time for me to terminate my employment with him."

"Um…um…thanks?" Goku scratched the back of his head in confusion, not even noticing that a hunk of steel had fallen on his head. "But…why'd you do that? It doesn't make sense…"

"Nothing makes sense with this lunatic," Kikai muttered dully, clutching Sachiko harder to her body as she glared at the masked old master. "So now what? Are you going to try to take the girl from us too?"

"…no." At this, Tsu, Rei, and Ke all shook their heads sadly, and began to speak simultaneously. "I have lost the game for now," the three said at the same time. "I cannot lay a claim to Sachiko-chan, given the current situation. Besides, I was never here to kill the sweet thing."

"But you hunted her down like a dog!" Kikai argued coldly. "And why are you three talking so strangely?"

"I wish I didn't have to help _him_." Tsu, Rei, and Ke all stared at Katsu's dead corpse, ignoring Kikai. "I wish my master had never given me this horrible assignment. Alas, my orders were that I had to help him find Sachiko, and I couldn't disobey. But…" Here, Tsu, Rei, and Ke all laughed. "My orders never specified that I had to kill her, nor did they state that I had to obey Katsu's commands when they didn't relate in finding Sachiko in any way. So theoretically, I never disobeyed my true orders."

Goku blinked, before he turned to Kikai in confusion. "Hey Eighteen, I'm a little lost on what he's trying to say…"

"Never you mind, Goku." Tsu, Rei, and Ke all smiled as the building let out another groan. "But you should all leave now. I doubt the structure will hold for much longer, and I would like for you all to escape in one piece."

"Huh? But what about you?" Goku cried. "You're not going to stay here, are you?"

"I have lost the game," Tsu, Rei and Ke replied. "And I am not, in your terms, a good guy. Therefore, I must die to preserve the Shakespearian sense of justice."

"But Tsu!" Goku tried to reach for the old master, only to draw his hand back quickly as rubble suddenly began to collapse all around them.

"Go now." Tsu tossed a small capsule at Goku, who caught it awkwardly as the old master, Rei, and Ke each bowed at the waist to the large Saiyajin and Kikai. "Those are the dragonballs. I have no use for them anymore. And treat that Jiro boy nicely, Goku…after all, he too, is one of your descendants. Goodbye, my good boy."

"Tsu!" Goku's eyes widened as, a second later, debris fell completely on Tsu, Rei, and Ke's heads, covering them completely from his sight. Kikai, no longer caring about the presumably dead trio, grabbed the large Saiyajin's arm and yanked him towards the hallway.

"Come on!" she yelled, still holding Sachiko in one arm as she dragged Goku with the other. "We have to go…NOW!"

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

Several hours and many senzu beans later, the group finally managed to reach the Amaterasu forest shrine, with Goku teleporting them right onto the herb garden.

The garden was in a state of complete disarray. Weeds littered the once organized soils in front of the Muzai household. Barberry shrubs filled every nook and cranny of dirt, and fully grown dandelion seeds floated in the air, making Hideaki sneeze and rub her eyes in irritation every so often.

"Doesn't anyone ever weed this area?" Jiro snapped, only to receive an annoyed glare from Kargo in response.

"It used to be Sachiko's job," the Namek boy replied quietly. "She used to weed the garden once a week before…_that _happened."

The human teen immediately fell silent, suddenly ashamed as he turned his reddened face towards the ground. "I see."

For a moment, there was an awkward silence. Then, Goku sighed.

"You know, it's been a while since I've had to deal with _that_ transformation," the large Saiyajin murmured quietly, running a hand though Sachiko's matted hair as the small girl slept soundly in Kikai's arms. "I should have been more careful with her. I should have told her not to look at a full moon. I really didn't know there was a full moon out tonight…"

"So…are you telling us that Sachiko's not normal, even on _your _standards?" Piccolo asked gravely.

"No."

"Wonderful." Kikai frowned and crossed her arms. "Then what should we do in case this ever happens again? Should we just keep cutting her tail off, or destroy the moon?"

The large Saiyajin's eyes were kept carefully away from the sight of the moon above him, fixed only on Sachiko's slumbering form. "Honestly? I don't really know."

"You can't destroy the moon!" Hideaki shrieked, her eyes wide with horror at the very notion. "The entire balance of the earth would be knocked askew! There would be no more tides! Ocean lifeforms would be utterly destroyed! Nocturnal patterns would be devastated all arounf the globe! And worst of all..._there won't be any more romantic moonlit walks along the beach_!"

"Calm down!" Goku yelped, shrinking away from the slightly histerical girl as he held his hands in the air as a pacifying gesture. "I didn't say to destroy the moon! It's just…it's just…" The large Saiyajin then sighed, and shook his head. "It's never happened like _that _before. Our faces never cracked…"

Kikai said nothing. Instead, she looked down into the sleeping face of Sachiko, who was wrapped in a white blanket that Piccolo had materialized for her once they had all escaped from the collapsing building. Pushing a strand of dark blue hair away from the small girl's face, Kikai gently jostled Sachiko awake, the corners of her lips twitching upwards when the child's eyelids fluttered open.

"Oh…" Sachiko moaned and buried her head into Kikai's neck. "Okaasan, five more minutes…"

A strange look suddenly flickered across Kikai's features, but it disappeared just as quickly as it appeared. "Wake up, kid. It's time to call the dragon."

"Mmm…huh?" The small girl blinked sleepily at the blonde woman, before she gave Kikai a tired smile. "Oh. Hi, Kikai-san. Did we win? What happened?"

Ryoushi, who had been hovering at the group's edge uncomfortably, cleared his throat. "Um, kid, you don't remember what happened?"

"No. I don't remember anything…HEY! Wait a minute!" Sachiko's eyes widened, and she pointed an accusing finger at Ryoushi's face. "What are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be a bad guy?"

"Err…" The bounty hunter coughed nervously. He honestly didn't know how to answer that question. After just barely regaining control of his body, realizing that he was now half-man and half-machine, and learning that he had been mutilated by his old teacher while being saved by the little girl and her strange friends (again), he wasn't sure what he was. His artificial eye whirled down to his metallic hand, and he clenched it tightly. He wasn't sure what he was, who he was, or where he belonged anymore.

But that didn't mean he was an ungrateful jackass.

A smile forced its way past his lips, and he calmly shook his head at Sachiko (who was still staring at him with a small, suspicion-filled pout on her face). "No. I won't bother you anymore, little girl. I've seen the error of my ways."

Sachiko raised a skeptical brow. "Really?"

"Yes."

The brow rose a little higher. _"…really_? With sugar and strawberries on top?_"_

"…Sure. With the sugar and…whatever."

Silence.

Then, Sachiko giggled.

"…okay! That means you're officially a good guy now!" Sachiko grinned cheerfully at Ryoushi, who sweatdropped and looked away. He never really did like kids, but the fact that this little girl accepted him so readily, even after all the shit he pulled, unnerved him to no end.

"You're too trusting," Kikai grumbled, her eyes narrowing slightly at the clearly uncomfortable Ryoushi. "I would have gutted him like a fish after what he and that bastard Tsu put us through…"

"But he said he was sorry, Kikai-san!" Sachiko replied, her grin widening as Kikai scoffed and turned away. "Shouldn't that count for something, at least?"

Kikai snorted, but she said nothing else. In her mind, it didn't matter what the hunter said or how kind-hearted Sachiko decided to be—Ryoushi would be getting a terrible punishment eventually as the years went on. He was a cyborg now, and if he was used from the same technology as her…

"So…" Sachiko looked up again at the others, the bright grin still on her face. "What happened? I really don't remember anything. What happened to Tsu and that meanie Katsu? Where are they? Did we get them? We got them, right, Goku-san?" The small girl stared up at the large Saiyajin expectantly, her eyes shining brightly as Goku let out a jittery laugh and tried his best to avoid eye contact.

Everyone with the exception of Sachiko and Kikai exchanged nervous glances. The thought of telling Sachiko the truth had never occurred to them before now.

But Kikai knew exactly what to say. "We beat Tsu and all of his cronies, little one. Katsu will never bother us again."

"Huh?" Sachiko blinked in confusion. "But how? The last thing I remember, Kargo-kun and Jiro were fighting Mr. Meanie-Hunter-Man-Who-Used-To-Be-Evil-But-Is-Good-Now."

"What kind of a nickname is that?" Ryoushi yelped, slightly affronted. "I wasn't evil! I was doing my job!"

"So what happened to that icky Tsu?" Sachiko went on, ignorning the increasing agitated Ryoushi as she cocked her head in curiosity at the others. "I don't feel his ki. Um…" The small girl bit her lip. "Did we…I mean, is he…you know…in Otherworld?"

Silence. Then, Jiro snorted and crossed his arms. "What do you think, Sachiko? Do you really believe that we wouldn't kill the asshole? I hope he burns in Hell and gets his ass handed to him by that fucker Vegeta."

"You don't have to say it like that!" Sachiko retorted heatedly, clenching her fists as she clutched harder to Kikai.

"Why not? That lunatic deserved every bit of the pain he's going to get in Hell! I wish I had a video camera so that I could see him get tortured day and night!"

"I don't wanna hear that!" Sachiko shrieked, covering her ears as Kargo, Piccolo and Hideaki stomped over to Jiro and slapped him upside the head—hard.

"OW!" Jiro yelped and rubbed the sore spot on the back of his head."What the hell?"

"You insensitive jerk!" Kargo hissed, his hand twitching as if he was on the verge of hitting Jiro again. "Just because _you're_ a sick bastard, doesn't mean that the rest of us are!"

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING A SICK BASTARD, FREAK?" Jiro yelled, powering up in a fine rage despite Hideaki's harsh demands for him to calm down. "IF ANYONE'S A SICK BASTARD AROUND HERE, IT'S YOU!"

"So says the one who had to be saved by Sachiko when Ryoushi's blast almost hit him," Kargo replied snidely, causing both Jiro and Ryoushi to turn red, albeit for different reasons.

"I didn't need to be rescued by HER!" Jiro shouted, just as Ryoushi cried out, "That wasn't my fault, I was being controlled!"

"All right, BREAK IT UP!" Piccolo shouted, shoving Jiro and Kargo away from one another just as the boys tried to attack each other on the spot. Hideaki wailed and clung to Jiro's arm, while Ryoushi held Kargo in place by grabbing the back of the Namek boy's hoodie, looking somewhat awkward as he did so.

Meanwhile, Kikai, Goku, and Sachiko turned away from the argument, the blonde woman's eye twitching while Goku tried his best to stay out of the fight. Sachiko, who was more than used to this by now, merely looked up at Kikai as if nothing had happened.

"Come on, Kikai-san!" the small girl repeated determinedly. "Tell me what happened to Tsu! Pleeeeeease?"

"…"

"…"

"…" Kikai's eye stopped twitching. "…he took his own life."

Sachiko's eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets in shock. "HUH?"

Goku gritted his teeth and stared hard at Kikai. "Eighteen, maybe we shouldn't…"

"Be quiet, Goku." Kikai didn't stare at Goku even once—her focus was completely on Sachiko. "Kid, I won't lie to you. When the building fell, Tsu decided to remain inside. He killed Katsu, and he told us all how to get out of the building safely…but he didn't come with us. He and Rei and that boy Ke…they all decided to die for what they did to us." Kikai then looked up at the night sky, staring at the full moon for a moment, before she snorted. "They were idiots, the whole lot of them."

"…Ke-kun…he's gone?" Tears welled up in the small girl's eyes, and she stared at Goku in disbelief. "Goku-san, that's not true, right? Even if he hurt me, Ke-kun was like a brother to me! He can't be gone!"

"Sachi-chan…" Goku reached out a hand and placed it on Sachiko's quivering head. "It was his choice."

"But…" Sachiko bit her lip as a single tear streamed down her face. "Why? Why would he help Tsu and Rei? He never told me why he did that, and now I'll never know."

Kikai and Goku exchanged worried glances. "Sachiko…"

Sachiko sniffed loudly, rubbing her eyes as tears streamed down her cheeks…before she suddenly shrieked in astonishment and slipped out of Kikai's arms, clutching the white sheet around her body in shock. "EEEK! Where are my clothes? Why am I nakie?"

And just like that, the small girl's focus shifted from her deceased former friend to her state of dress. The change happened so suddenly that neither Goku nor Kikai were prepared for it, and the end result was that Goku ended up facefaulting straight into the ground while Kikai struggled not to do the same. (After all, she was still a woman of dignity, and dignifiged women absolutely did NOT facefault.)

"Why are my clothes gone? It's cold and I don't like being cold—OH NO!" The small girl's eyes widened as she craned her head to the side in an attempt to look at her rear end. "Where's my tail? My poor tail! It's gone and missing and now my bottom HURTS! WAAAAAAAAH!"

Sachiko began to cry as she felt the stub that had once been her tail, refusing to even look at Kikai and Goku as they tried to explain to her what had happened. Her tail was gone! After not having to cut it off for so long, to lose it again was like losing her own limb. And the pain! She couldn't bear it and was on the verge of running away to cry when suddenly, she felt two pairs of arms hug her hard from behind.

She looked up, blinking through her tears as she found herself staring into the very battered and bruised faces of Kargo and Jiro.

Had they been fighting? Why did they—

Oh. Right.

"Sachi-chan…" Kargo's grip tightened around her small frame as he simultaneously tried to push Jiro away. "I know you really liked your tail. And I know that you always hated having your tail cut off when you were younger…"

"Of course I hated it!" Sachiko wailed. Why was Kargo even telling her this? He knew she hated cutting off her tail. The act was the very reason she had decided to run away when she was four!

"But frankly," Jiro cut in, glowering at Kargo as he tried to pull Sachiko away from the Namek boy's hold, "the tail caused you to go bonkers. It had to die."

"Huh?" Well, this was new. Sachiko's cocked her head to the side in confusion. "Bonkers? What does that mean?"

"It means that it made you act…different," Kargo replied, choosing his words carefully. "Sachiko, when you look at the moon…well, if you still have your tail, it makes you act…mean."

"MEAN?" the small girl shrieked, her eyes widening in disbelief. "But—but why would I act _mean_? It doesn't make any sense! I don't even remember acting mean at all!"

Jiro snorted. "I don't get it either, but either way, it made you…mean. So we had to cut off your tail to get you back to normal."

"Oh…" Sachiko sniffed again, before she looked up at Kargo with a tearful expression. If the tail made her act strangely, then… "Does this mean that I have to keep cutting my tail off, Kargo-kun?" _Please don't say yes. I don't wanna lose my tail..._

The Namek boy faltered for a moment at the sight of her tears, before he gritted his teeth and hugged her harder. "I guess so. Sorry, Sachi-chan…"

"Waaaaah…" _No! It's not fair!_

"But look at the bright side! We can wish Taka-san and Goushi-sama back now! Right dad?" Kargo glanced at his father (who looked slightly disheveled after his SEVERAL attempts to break up the fight between himself and Jiro) meaningfully, silently begging Piccolo to comply. The older Namek snorted, before he crossed his arms and sighed.

"Do whatever you want, boy," Piccolo growled. "Obviously you won't listen to anything _I'll _say, so you might as well finish what you started."

"Now look here dad!" Kargo ranted, having fully expected a refusal and had immediately prepared for his counter-argument. "You just can't tell me 'NO' and expect me to not do anything about it! I've lived with only Sachiko, Hideaki, and Rich Boy for months, and you can't just…" Kargo stopped, and stared incredulously at Piccolo. "Wait a minute. Did you just say yes, old man?"

"…"

"…"

"…" A muscle went off in Piccolo's jaw, and he growled angrily, "Hurry up and do the stupid wishing thing before I change my mind, boy! I have half a mind to UN-undisown you and kick you out of the Lookout again!"

"When did you undisown me in the first place?"

"JUST HURRY UP!"

"Right, right, right...thanks, old man," Kargo replied, grinning when his father bristled with agitation. Turning to Goku, who had now opened the capsule that contained the dragonballs, Kargo reached into his hoodie and pulled out the Four Star Ball, the one he had been holding onto ever since they had escaped Tsu's base several weeks back. Placing the orange orb with the other six, he watched as all seven dragonballs began to glow brightly, as if each were glad to be rejoined with its other siblings after a long period of separation. He took a deep breath, before he closed his eyes and said in his Namekian tongue, "**Arise and greet your master…Insumo!**"

The seven orbs began to shine so brightly that Hideaki and Jiro had to shield their eyes. The balls pulsated and glowed, becoming brighter and brighter until finally, a long, twisting beam of yellow light emerged from the dragonballs, shooting upwards into the darkening sky. Finally, the brightness became so intense that even Kikai and Goku had to shield their eyes from the glare, and when the light finally died down, everyone drew in a breath of astonishment.

The beam of light was gone. In its place stood a green-skinned creature standing on its hind legs. The legs, the ones in the front and the ones it was standing on were think and stubby. On the foot of each leg were three large claws that tapered off at the end. The legs supported a bulky body that had a large, yellow patch around the stomach. Large, fearsome wings sprouted from the back of the creature, looking more like devil's wings than anything else. Its long tail emerged from behind, and from its torso, a long protruding neck was connected with a dragon's head.

For a moment, no one was able to speak.

"_You have awakened me from my slumber_," the dragon growled in a deep, low voice, staring at each of them with an unfathomable stare. "_Speak the three wishes that you hold in your hearts._"

"…wow." Sachiko and Goku clasped their hands together, their eyes shining with childish excitement as they approached Insumo with wonder. "You're really different looking from Shenlong!" Goku exclaimed. "You're more like those dragons that Chi-Chi used to read to Gohan and Goten in their bedtime stories when they were little!"

"You're so cool looking, Insumo-san!" Sachiko squealed, and the dragon suddenly blushed as it lowered its head in a very Kargo-like fashion.

"_Thank you, child…_"

"Oh my god," Jiro muttered, his face paling as he stared up at the blushing dragon in disgust. "This thing has the _freak's _personality!" He shuddered, before he shrugged his shoulders and sighed. "Oh well. As long as I get my wish, I'll be happy—OW!" Jiro yelped, before he suddenly fell to the ground in an unconscious heap. Kargo, who tossed aside the wooden plank (which had seemingly appeared out of nowhere) he had used to clobber Jiro, grinned wickedly as he stood over the fallen human teen.

"Sorry, rich boy," Kargo said in a too-innocent tone. "But those wishes _aren't _for you."

"That's right!" Hideaki agreed, although she looked slightly uncomfortable at the fact that her brother had just been beaten over the head from behind by a person who was _supposed _to be his friend. "Besides, if anyone deserves a wish, it's me—ACK!" Hideaki gasped as Piccolo came up from behind her and threw a light chop at the side of her temple, causing the young woman to collapse almost instantly. Kargo looked up at his father in astonishment, but the older Namek merely shook his head.

"These balls were created for the villages," Piccolo explained quietly, his eyes staring at the dragon in a strange, almost wistful manner. "Kargo, make the wishes. Bring Taka back. Goushi too…"

"R-right." Kargo gulped, before he turned to Insumo and set his lips in a hard, thin line. "Insumo! For my first wish, I want all of the innocent villagers who were slaughtered in the massacres to be brought back to life!"

Insumo let out a loud roar, and his eyes glowed red for the briefest of moments. "_It is done_," he growled, his wings flapping gently as a night breeze slipped softly throughout the forest.

Sachiko looked around excitedly. She waited to hear the voices of her mother and grandfather calling for her, but she couldn't hear anything, and no one was coming towards her from the house or the forest depths. Her spirit sank like a rock. "I don't see my Okaasan," she murmured sadly. "Did the wish fail?"

"I don't know," Kargo replied nervously. _God, I hope not..._ But when he suddenly heard his father choke out loud, he turned…only to sweatdrop when he saw Taka hugging Piccolo's neck hard from behind. "Taka-san!"

"How'ya doing, you stiff old pickle?" Taka exclaimed, grinning impishly as Piccolo blushed a deep red and fought to get her off. "Did you miss me? Come on, admit you missed me…"

"Get off me, you vile girl!" Piccolo shouted, his blush deepening by the second as he finally managed to get Taka off of his neck. Growling, he glared at the small, dark-haired woman who was currently laughing at the look of anger and embarrassment on his face. "You haven't grown up at all! Your own daughter is standing right there, and yet you insist on being selfish! Go hug her! She literally went through Hell and back to bring you back here!"

"Oh! Sachiko's here?" Taka turned, and smiled when she saw her daughter gazing up at her with adoration in her golden eyes. "Hello there, baby! Give me a hug, will you?"

"Okaasan!" Sachiko squealed and leaped into Taka's open arms, hugging her mother hard as Taka smoothed back her daughter's hair. "Okaasan, Okaasan, Okaasaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaan! I missed you! I missed you so much!"

"Me too, baby. Heaven just isn't heaven without you…in fact, with your grandfather around, it was more like hell."

"I heard that, you disobedient girl!" Goushi appeared next to Taka and glared at his daughter just as Sachiko went into peals of delight. "Taka, you brazen _thing_! Why can't you think of other people for _once _in your life and—OOF!" Goushi gasped as Sachiko tackled him to the ground and held him in an asphyxiating embrace. "Ouch! Oh my, Sachiko…you've really gotten stronger…"

"I missed you so much, Grandfather!"

"And I—I missed you too—AGH!" Goushi choked and tried to pry his granddaughter's arms off of his neck. "P-Piccolo—help me, my friend, before I die again!"

In the background, Kikai's gaze darkened as she watched Sachiko's tearful yet happy reunion with her family. Turning her eyes to the ground, she had partially made up her mind to leave when she suddenly felt a small hand in her own. She looked down and was surprised to see Sachiko smiling up at her. "Little one…"

"Come on, Kikai-san!" the small girl said cheerfully, pulling the blonde woman (along with a rather sheepish looking Goku) over towards Taka and Goushi. "I want you both to meet my Okaasan! I have this feeling that you'll all get along great!"

"Somehow I doubt that," Kikai muttered, just as Taka turned to her, dark eyes locking with blue ones as the two most important women in Sachiko's life finally met face to face. At seeing Sachiko hold onto Kikai's hand so lovingly, Taka's laid-back expression immediately turned sour, and Kikai knew that the policewoman had figured out the extent of her relationship with Sachiko.

…

But that didn't mean that Kikai had to back down.

Putting on a feigned smile, Taka held her hand out to the blonde. "Hello there," Taka greeted in a too sweet voice. "I'm Taka Muzai. Sachiko's one and _only _mother. It's a pleasure to meet you."

Kikai's eye twitched. _Two can play at this game. _"It's a pleasure. I'm Kikai Ichihatsu." Kikai grasped hands with Taka briefly. Both women let go extremely quickly. "I've looked after Sachiko for quite some time, and I find your daughter to be a very kind-hearted and compassionate little girl."

"I know."

"It's good that you know."

"Right."

"Okay then."

"…"

"…"

"And I'm Goku!" The large Saiyajin grasped onto both Taka and Goushi's hands, pumping their arms up and down energetically as he broke right through the tense atmosphere. "Wow, I guess since you're Sachi-chan's mother and grandfather, that makes me your ancestor too! It's really nice to meet you all!"

"A-ancestor?" Both Goushi and Taka's jaws dropped, and they turned to Sachiko with a look that clearly said, _explain-what-this-is-about!_

"You brought one of our sacred ancestors back to LIFE?" Goushi roared, his eyes narrowing so dangerously that Sachiko squeaked and hid behind Kargo in fright. "You foolish child! Bringing me and your fool of a mother back to life is one thing—"

"Who are you calling a fool, you wrinkled old prune?" Taka snapped, crossing her arms in annoyance at her father.

"—but to bring back someone from the past!" Goushi went on, ignoring his daughter as he poured all of his pent up frustrations at his grandchild. "HAVE YOU NO BRAINS, CHILD?"

"Actually, I have to go back to Otherworld soon," Goku admitted sadly. "I can already feel Baba coming to pick me up now…"

"Goushi, calm down," Piccolo said quietly, only to back away when Goushi's fury turned towards him.

"DON'T TELL ME TO CALM DOWN! YOU MIGHT BE MY FRIEND, BUT DARN IT, THIS IS MY GRANDCHILD AND I APPRECIATE YOU NOT INTERFERING!"

"Ahaha…" Sachiko laughed nervously, before she ran to Kargo and grabbed his arm. "Um, Kargo…"

"On it." The Namek boy sweatdropped slightly at the furious Goushi, before he turned to the hovering and slightly bored-looking Insumo once again. "Um, loyal dragon of mine…"

"_Yes_?" Insumo stopped picking his nose and stared blearily at Kargo. _"What is your demand?"_

"Um, yeah. I'd like to make my second wish. I wish that with the exception of all those directly involved with the dragonball mission me and my friends were on, no one would question why the dead villagers were brought back to life, or hound others about why dead people are walking the earth!"

"Kargo!" Piccolo shouted in outrage. "What sort of wish is that? You can't manipulate people's emotions and expect to—"

"_Granted_!" Insumo's eyes glowed once again, and immediately a blank look overcame Goushi and Taka's faces.

"I think I'll go to the city and check up on work," Taka said dreamily, walking towards the house as she patted Sachiko on the head. "You be good and mind whatever grandpa tells you, okay? Huh. You know, I feel as if the last couple of months were a blur, but WHY that is, I just don't know…"

"And Sachiko," Goushi ordered in a trance-like manner, "weed the garden. It's getting to be a bit much…"

"Um, okay," Sachiko replied nervously, a jittery laugh escaping her lips as Taka and Goushi waded through the bushes and weeds to get to their house. Piccolo, whose jaw had dropped at seeing Taka and Goushi's dazed states, looked as if he was about to explode at Kargo and Insumo for making and granting such a wish...before he took a deep breath and shook his head at his son.

"…Kargo."

"…yeah, dad?"

"…I'm not going to talk about this. If Taka and Goushi somehow manage to remember this, don't come crying to me if Taka tries to kill you."

"Right, dad."

"When you're done, get back to the Lookout and go clean your room. It's dusty."

"Right, dad."

Piccolo sighed once more, before he powered up slightly flew off. Kargo, who normally would have detested such an order, smiled at his father's retreating back.

His old man was finally back. Besides Sachiko's love, he could want for nothing else.

"Finally," Ryoushi muttered, poking at Jiro and Hideaki's unconscious bodies as he looked up at the dragon with a slightly amused expression. "So, what's the last wish gonna be, kiddoes? Fame? Fortune? All of the above?" He frowned as he shooed away a pair of gray baby squirrels that had taken to nibbling on the unconscious Jiro's hair. "What's with all these squirrels? Did they mutate or something due to that global warming rumor I heard? Geez…"

"One more wish, huh?" Sachiko felt her tail stub, and looked up at Goku sadly. "Goku-san…"

"Hmm?" The large Saiyajin stared down at the small girl and smiled. "Yes, Sachi-chan?"

"I…I can't wish to have my tail back, can I? I mean…" Sachiko bit her lip. "I want it back, but I don't want to act mean again. So…I have to live without it, don't I?"

Goku looked uncomfortable, before he sighed and nodded his head. "Yeah, Sachi-chan. I'm sorry, but…it's why I ended up removing my own tail when I was younger. I didn't want to put anyone in danger. I had to forcefully regrow it during a special circumstance, but for the most part, I removed it because I didn't want to accidentally hurt the ones I loved."

"Oh." Sachiko sniffed once, before she looked up at the dragon and smiled. Well, if _she _couldn't look like her old self again, then maybe she could help the ones who really needed it. "Insumo-san?"

"_Y-yes_?" The dragon blushed again, and lowered his head so that his face was closer to Sachiko's. "_What is your wish_?"

"Can you make Kikai-san and Ryoushi-san look like they were before that icky Tsu hurt them? I think they would be happier that way."

"Kid…" Kikai stared at Sachiko in surprise, while Ryoushi's jaw hit the floor. She was using her last wish on them… "You…you don't have to do that…"

"_I cannot make the hunter human again,_" the dragon warned. "_I can make him __**look **__as he did before, but his metallic parts will still remain, as will his artificial eye. The same goes for the woman._"

"I understand," Sachiko replied, nodding.

"_Then…it is granted!_" Insumo's eyes glowed a deep red for a third and final time, before the dragon suddenly disappeared, his body breaking into seven glowing orbs that circled the sky in unison. Then, in a flash, the seven balls separated, each streaking off towards its own corner of the earth as the sky lightened and returned to its previous look of starry twilight.

Kikai gasped as skin began to grow over the metallic leg, arm and stomach that Tsu and Rei had forced onto her. Ryoushi's real eye widened as he felt skin cover his grotesque metal body parts, and when he reached up to feel his face, it almost felt as if he was human again.

He the felt his artificial eye whirring in its socket and he grimaced. Well, he wasn't completely normal again. But, as he looked at the smiling little girl who was admiring Kikai's fixed arm and leg as the blonde woman tested her limbs cautiously, he knew he was lucky enough to just get this much. No way was he going to complain.

And yet he needed to know why. "Little girl…why would you do this? After all that I did…" The hunter stared at Sachiko awkwardly, while Sachiko laughed at him in response.

"You're good now, right?"

"I guess."

"Then you deserve this! Don't worry!"

Ryoushi could not say another word and at this point, he knew he couldn't follow Miyuki's orders to hurt the child. Although…he stared down at Jiro and Hideaki's unconscious bodies, and grinned. He could still collect the money she offered for their return…

Kikai flexed her fixed hand, and smirked. "You really are a brat of Goku's," she muttered, before she patted Sachiko on the head. "Little one, thank you."

"You're welcome!" Sachiko chirped, before she skipped away and hugged Kargo hard around the middle, making the Namek boy blush.

"W-what's up, Sachi-chan?" he asked, trying to hide the red hues in his face. "You okay?"

"Uh-huh. It's all thanks to you!" Sachiko hugged Kargo harder. "It's because of you that everything's normal again!"

"Well…"

"Oh! I almost forgot!" Sachiko pulled away abruptly from Kargo (leaving him in a somewhat disappointed state) before she bent over the still unconscious Hideaki, pulling a small capsule from the older girl's pocket. "Kargo-kun, I got something for you a while back, and I asked Hideaki to hold onto this for me when we entered the Tenkaichi Budokai—"

"Ooooooh." Jiro finally began to stir, his hand massaging the spot where Kargo had hit him. "W-what the hell hit me?"

"You two should probably get out of here," Goku whispered, pushing Sachiko and Kargo towards the forest as he kept a wary eye on the awakening Jiro. "I have a feeling your cousin Jiro won't be happy with us when he wakes up…"

"Huh? Cousin?" Sachiko blinked. "Jiro's my cousin?"

"Yeah! Tsu told me that you and Jiro were related! I never knew that!" Goku laughed, before his eyes suddenly widened, and his face turned upwards towards the sky. "Huh? King Kai? Is that you?"

"King who?" Kargo asked, having never met the Northern Kai before, even during his trip to the Otherworld. "What's up, Goku?"

Goku didn't answer—he seemed to be listeningt to a voice that only he could hear. "Oh, wow! King Kai, you're all better? How? Huh? You just got better, just like that? Well, what about the other Kais? Them too? Huh."

"What's going on, Goku-san?" Sachiko asked curiously, hugging her ancestor's leg. "What does King Kai want?"

"Well, I didn't really beat him," Goku replied, picking Sachiko up and placing her on his shoulders. "Sachi-chan and this other old guy did! Actually…" Goku's features suddenly darkened, and Sachiko suddenly felt nervous at the look on the large Saiyajin's face. "King Kai, there's something I need to ask you about Saiyajin states...but we can talk about that later, right?"

"What's wrong, Goku-san?" Sachiko asked worriedly. "Was there a problem when you had to fight Tsu?"

"Hmm?" Goku blinked at Sachiko, before he grinned widely. "Aw, don't worry! It's nothing big, Sachi-chan! You and Kargo and Jiro should—OH! That reminds me!" The large Saiyajin's grin was now so wide that it seemed too big for his face. "King Kai, can you check my family tree? Look to see if Jiro's on the list!" Goku paused. "What do you mean, now's not the time? Aw, come on! It'll only take a second…uh-huh…uh-huh…huh? OH! So he _is_, huh? THANKS! Thanks a lot! I'll be back soon, I promise! Thanks a bunch, King Kai!"

"What the hell just happened?" Kargo groaned, keeping a wary eye on Jiro, who was slowly rising to his feet. "What did this King guy say?"

"Well, it's official!" Goku cheered, laughing as he stared in Jiro's direction. "Sachi-chan, you and Jiro are relatives! I mean, sure, Jiro's ALL the way on the OPPOSITE side of the family tree and he's more related to Vegeta than me, but still! He's family! From his father's side, he's a part of our family, teehee!"

"Oh cool! So Jiro's kinda like my cousin!" Sachiko giggled, while Kargo's lips curved into a devious smile at her reaction.

"Yup, Sachi-chan," the Namek boy replied sweetly. "Jiro's your _family_ _member_…bwahahaha…"

"Huh? HEY! FREAK, WHERE'S THE FUCKING DRAGONBALLS?"

"Good lord." Kikai rolled her eyes as Jiro nearly exploded with rage when he realized the dragonballs were gone. Leaping in front of Jiro just as he tried to lung for Kargo, the blonde turned to Sachiko with a faint smile. "You should probably hide for a while, little one. Take the green one with you."

"We'll hold them off, so head for the hills!" Ryoushi replied, grinning at Sachiko just as he blocked a ki blast from Jiro. "Hey, Jiro…don't be so mad! There's always next year!"

"YEAR? WHY YOU—"

"Come on, Sachiko!" Sweeping the small girl into his arms, Kargo leapt into the air and flew away at top speeds, Sachiko laughing and holding onto his neck even though she was perfectly capable of flying on her own. The white blanket whipped around her form as Kargo flew faster and faster, and when they were finally far enough from the shrine to stop, Kargo let Sachiko down on the grassy shores of a large, beautiful lake. "Whew!" He mopped his sweaty brow with the sleeve of his hoodie, and grinned at the giggling girl next to him. "I think we'll be safe here, Sachi-chan."

"Uh-huh!" The small girl then sighed in content and looked up at the starry sky above, her eyes memorizing each dot and every falling star. When her eyes fell upon the moon, the pain in her tail stub lessened, and she found herself leaning against Kargo's shoulder, opening the capsule she had held in her hand the entire time.

A water canteen suddenly appeared on her lap, painted to look like a lake of crystal clear water under a beautiful night sky. The painted night grass was bowing gracefully to an evening breeze, in the corner were two shadows of people staring at the stars.

"Whoa…" Kargo blinked at the canteen, before he stared at Sachiko in amazement. "Did you make this, Sachi-chan?"

"Yeah." Pressing the canteen into his hands, Sachiko's cheeks turned pink as she gave him a shy smile. "I know it's a little late, but...Happy Thirteenth Birthday, Kargo-kun."

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

The tall, thin, wiry monk stepped over the rubbles of the building, kicking aside the corpse of a dead gray squirrel as he looked under small bits of fallen debris. Finally, after a few minutes of this, he scowled and yelled in a loud voice, "Master! Where are you?"

For a moment, there was no response. Then, there was a stir from underneath the largest pile of rubble, and a second later, three people crawled out of the debris, coughing as they wiped the dust and cement from their faces.

Tsu, Rei, and Ke.

"Ugh." The monk's scowl deepened, and he gave the three a look of deep disgust. "Master, I wish you would change back now. Seeing you in those three forms is not amusing to me."

"Very little amuses you, Blith," Tsu replied dully, but he managed to smile nevertheless, his golden eyes shining brightly in the absence of his face mask. Rei snorted, moving a strand of hair away from her face. Her golden eyes, now no longer covered by her glasses, stared dully at Tsu. Ke shook his head, his own golden eyes shut tight in unhappiness.

Tsu touched Rei and Ke's shoulders, and in seconds the two assimilated into Tsu's body, their forms merging and twisting as the old and young became one, until the distinguishing features merged together to form one complete being—

—and when the dust settled, a young, faintly handsome man wearing a black outfit stood in the place of Tsu, Rei, and Ke. His long, dark hair and feminine features were reminiscent of Rei, but the innocent look in his boyish face belonged to that of Ke. And the smile, the ever cheerful smile and body pose that the man held…it clearly was that of Tsu's.

Blith removed the fake bald covering on his head, revealing a shock of bleached white hair underneath as he glared angrily at the young man, who in turn looked mildly amused at the other's disguise.

"I always knew you would make a good monk," the young man stated happily. "A man of religion always _was_ your thing…"

"Why didn't you kill Goku?"

"Hmm?" Reiketsu tilted his head to the side. "What do you mean?"

"Goku. Why didn't you kill him? If you hadn't split yourself up into three forms, you could have easily taken advantage of his compassion for you."

Reiketsu thought for a moment, before he chuckled. "Really now, Blith! What fun would that be? Besides, even if I had gone like this, if Goku had gone SSJ4, I would have died after two minutes! The man is stronger than me when he's in his final form, you know! Hmph. Challenging him? The very idea..."

"Master Reiketsu," Blith replied agitatedly, "you have still failed the mission. You were supposed to kill the girl—"

"No, Katsu was supposed to kill the girl," Reiketsu said calmly, waggling a finger mockingly in front of his subordinate. "I was only supposed to _help_. Never was I told that I had to kill Sachiko-chan."

"But our lord clearly implied—"

"If he wanted me to _kill_ the child," Reiketsu argued gently, "then he would have said so himself. I have not violated any of his orders."

"But you _killed _Katsu, master! You know what happens when you—"

"Milord never said that I couldn't kill Katsu," Reiketsu replied as-a-matter-of-factly, examining his fingernails as if they were a matter of great concern. "Besides, the poor little IDIOT was doomed to failure anyway. He relied too much on my old pupil. Besides, our lord only put me under the fool's command to punish me for sleeping with his new whore. And she was hardly worth it, to tell you the truth. She was nowhere near as cute or fiery as Taka-chan."

Blith coughed, before he looked away uncomfortably. "Still…"

"At any rate," Reiketsu stated, smiling at Blith with a twinkle in his golden eyes, "I couldn't let Sachiko-chan die yet. What sort of father would I be if I let that happen, hmm?"

"A poor one," Blith muttered dryly, before a look of interest overcame his wiry features. "Still…I must admit, master, that your daughter is indeed a specimen worth examining."

"I knew you'd see things my way. At this rate, I would like to postphone her sentence by a few more years…six, perhaps? There's still time, and I'm sure milord wouldn't mind if I make a few alterations to our plan, right? Teehee!"

Blith rolled his eyes at Reiketsu's sudden display of childishness. "Of course, master. Whatever you say."

* * *

**Sachiko: …**

**Kargo: …**

**Jiro: …wow. I did NOT expect that.**

**Sachiko: Wait a minute. Tsu, Rei, and Ke were all part of the same person? And that person is…my Toussan?**

**Kargo: Yeah. Wow. That's your dad, Sachi-chan. Reiketsu-san.**

**Sachiko: (blinks back tears) WAAAAAAAAAH! I don't want him as my daddy! He almost killed us all! T-T**

**Kargo: But he also saved us all. He killed Katsu.**

**Sachiko: Oh yeah. (thinks for a moment, then pouts) But I still don't like him!**

**Jiro: I agree! That guy's a total freak! What's his deal with us and Sachiko anyway?**

**Kargo: I have no idea. TURMOIL's planning on expanding on him in the SEQUEL. Okay? This story isn't over, readers! TURMOIL is planning a sequel to this story, entitled **_**Origins of the Dragon**_**! So keep a look out for this new story!**

**Jiro: And if you have questions in the mean time, go to TURMOIL's forum and ask questions! TURMOIL normally answers questions faster in forums than she does in a PM anyway. She's weird like that. And yes, this IS shameless plugging for her forum.**

**Sachiko: So…there's going to be a new story about us?**

**Kargo: Yup! Set six years into the future! So you'll be around sixteen, Sachi-chan.**

**Sachiko: And you'll be around eighteen, right? And Jiro will be around…um… (counts on fingers) Let's see…nineteen…and then…**

**Jiro: (annoyed) I'll be twenty, you idiot!**

**Sachiko: (sobs) KIKAI-SAN! OKAASAN! Jiro's being mean to me! T-T**

**Eighteen and Taka: (appears bloody and bruised right behind Jiro) What are you doing to the kid/my daughter?**

**Jiro: …I'm gonna die, aren't I?**

**Kargo: (aims a camera at Jiro with a smile on his face) Yes. AND I'LL TAKE PICTURES TO COMMODERATE THE MEMORY! :D**

**Sachiko: Oh boy. Read and review, readers! Of course, since TURMOIL-san's finals are coming up, as well as the due date for her projects, she can't really focus on any fanfiction writing for the next two or three weeks, but until then…SEE YA! Consider this a short hiatus, okay? Thank you for reading the first installment of my story, and keep an eye out for the sequel, **_**Origins of the Dragon**_**! :D**


	62. Epilogue: Three Years Later

Disclaimer: Dragonball belongs to Mr. Akira Toriyama. I idolize him so much...

A/N: To all those who took the time to review and point out my mistakes, I thank each and every one of you from the bottom of my heart. Your words have helped me become a better writer, and I am truly touched that you guys stuck with this story as long as you did.

I've rewritten and revised alot of the chapters, making some changes due to some very good remarks made in the comments. (Like the issue with Uub, who has now been rewritten into Fighter Heaven. Because I realize NOW that it makes so much more sense that way. Gah, I was so stupid back then...) Also, I decided to revise some wording because when I looked back at the first batch of chapters, I literally did a double take and said to myself, "My GOD. Did I really used to write like that?" (Lastly, I revised the entire story because for some reason FF DOT Net will no longer accept or display my old page breaks, forcing me to come up with the current squiggly page breaks you might have seen all throughout the story.)

To those who are wondering, I have indeed removed the sequel, _Origins of the Dragon._ I am rewriting the old three chapters and will repost them once I feel they are up to scratch.

**_Three Years Later: An Entry From Sachiko's Diary, Age 13_**

_Dear diary,_

_I'm so happy! Okaasan got something called a pro-moh-tee-on at work. She's now a Captain of the police force! Whee! _

_I'm a little bit sad, though, because she won't be able to spend time with me at home. Now she has to work longer in the city. I don't really like that, but I think I'll be okay. I mean, Okaasan is Okaasan, and she loves working in the city. I guess I can just visit her when I miss her too much. And that means I can visit Kikai-san at the same time!_

_Can you keep a secret, diary? When I visit Okaasan and Kikai-san, I actually spend more time with Kikai-san than I do with Okaasan. Even though she always says that she's busy, Kikai-san takes me places to eat when it's lunchtime, and she buys me pretty city clothes even when I tell her I don't want her to spend money on me._

_Then she tells me to be quiet, before making me take them anyway._

_I love Kikai-san so much. Don't tell Okaasan that, though. I don't think Okaasan likes Kikai-san for SOME reason, which is so strange...and Grandfather hates all city people anyway. He tells me to stay away from city people, and I try to stay away from most of them. Except for Kikai-san and Jiro and Hideaki-chan and Ryoushi-san, of course._

_Oh yeah! Ryoushi-san! He became Kikai-san's new secretary! I don't know why Kikai-san hired him, though. He doesn't really listen to her, and he's always late in bringing her coffee. And he doesn't seem to like the job very much. He seems bored._

_He says that he likes looking at Kikai-san's face, though. And he says that "Cyborgs should stick together". And he likes kicking Master Roshi out of Kikai's office._

_What does that mean?_

_Hideaki has a new boyfriend. He is another science-tist like her. They are both very smart...at least, I think they are. I can't understand what they're saying half the time. Capsule Corps is doing a whole lot better too! President Kutai's gotten much better at not letting his company get stolen from icky-poo men like Tsu. And he even cut down on the corruption in the police force by catching all the men who had those terrible weapons!_

_(Hideaki says that some of Rei's horrible weapons are still in the...black market, she called it? What's a black market? Is it a market where everything's been painted black? Anyway, she says she can't get those weapons back, which makes me sad. Ack.)_

_And Jiro._

_I...don't know what to say about Jiro. He's been treating me so coldly ever since Kargo-kun and I stopped him from making his wish. Kargo-kun said that Jiro wanted to make a selfish wish, so we couldn't let him do that. So why does he seem to hate me so much? I apologized to him. I never used the dragonballs again (although Kargo-kun thinks we should collect the balls just to keep other people from using them for bad reasons). I told him I was sorry, so why is he so mad at me? I mean, Hideaki didn't get to make her wish either, but she isn't mad..._

_And when I told him that since we are family, he should be nicer, he got even MORE mad. In fact, he was so mad that he's now building something called a...a Gravity Room? I don't know what that's about. Hideaki said that she found the blue prints in her old computer thingie._

_I REALLY don't understand Jiro sometimes._

_That's why I'm happy that Kargo-kun isn't like Jiro. Kargo-kun is now spending almost every day with me, and I'm glad for that. I like seeing Kargo. He spends lots of time with me in the village, and he leaves flowers at Mr. Squirrelly-Squirrel's grave with me every week. He even helps me with that horrible herb garden. _

_We train together now. I can go Super Saiyajin for a long time, and Kargo said that he found a way to redirect lightning better. Honestly, I think that move is dangerous, but he wants to learn how to do it better, so I guess I'll__ help him. _

_I love Kargo-kun. I don't know what I'd do if he wasn't here._

_Sometimes Goku-san talks to me through King Kai. I was scared out of my pants the first time he did it, but now I'm glad he takes the time to do that. Goku-san is just the best. Sometimes, I even wish he was my daddy...but he is my ancestor, so that's almost as good, right?_

_I wonder why he keeps asking me if everything is okay with my transformation? He's so silly._

_I have to go now. More people are arriving in the village. People are moving here because after Kargo and I competed in the Budokai, more city people want to see how feudal people live. As the miko of Amaterasu, it's my duty to welcome them._

_I have to hide my tail, though. it grew back, but I don't want them to cut it off. I'll hide it until the day I die, if I have to. Kargo-kun knows about it, but he promised to not tell anyone._

_Bye-bye._


End file.
